ORLANDO, FLORIDA: Magnolia Woodhead, a 12-year-old girl from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, miraculously survived after being bitten by a shark twice while swimming at a Florida beach. She was reportedly left with 100 puncture wounds on her thigh, which resulted in her leg “dripping” with blood. The pre-teen was reportedly visiting Cocoa Beach near Orlando for a gymnastics competition on Monday, June 26, when she was attacked by the beast.
“Right when I got out of the water, I just started screaming because I knew that it wasn’t good,” Woodhead told Fox 35 Orlando. “My first thought was, like, I'm not going to do gymnastics,” the pre-teen added. When Woodhead’s father picked her up out of the water, her mother, Melissa Stallings, saw blood dripping down the girl’s leg. The latter was then rushed to the hospital with “75 to 100 [bite marks] up and down her little thigh,” the Daily Mail reported. Woodhead was reportedly given 50 stitches.
‘Shark bite was not on the agenda’
Woodhead was reportedly left wheelchair bound after being released from the hospital and had to use it for assistance even for her trip to Disney World. Although the 12-year-old could not compete in this year's gymnastics competition, she cheered for her teammates from the sidelines. “I was just there because I really wanted to support my teammates because I know they've worked so hard on this contest and stuff,” she told Fox 35. Woodhead also mentioned that she hopes to return to Florida for next year’s competition -but said she will be avoiding the beaches “for a long time.” “Shark bite was not on the agenda for the day, I'll tell you that,” Woodhead’s mother told the publication.
‘Shark bite capital of the world’
Cocoa Beach, where Woodhead was attacked, is reportedly located in Brevard County just an hour away from Volusia County, which is known as “the shark bite capital of the world” for recording the most shark bites than anywhere in the globe. At least 20 sharks were reportedly hanging out between Long Island and Cape Cod along the East Coast during the holiday weekend, the Daily Mail reported.
The Florida Panhandle has also spotted dozens of sharks in recent days. As a state, Florida ranks number one for shark bites in the world, as per the official website of Florida Panhandle. The Sunshine State has also recorded the most unprovoked shark attacks in the US as of last year. In the last 50 years, there has been around 1,200 shark attacks in the world with a a 14 percent fatality rate, as per the website.
