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09/02/2001 David Peltier (Virginia) ***Fatal***

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Boy dies after shark attack- VIRGINIA BEACH, VA

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Boy dies after shark attack- VIRGINIA BEACH, VA
SEP.2.2001

David Peltier, of Richmond, was pronounced dead at Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters at 3:45 a.m. ET Sunday.

As a result of the attack, the main artery in his left thigh was severed, resulting in significant blood loss, according to a spokesman for Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters.

David was visiting his father, Richard Peltier, a resident of Virginia Beach, when the attack happened Saturday evening around 6 p.m. ET. The father and son were in about 4 feet of water on a sandbar approximately 50 yards offshore.

Witnesses of the attack say the father could be seen hitting the shark over the head to try to get it to release his son.

David was initially treated at Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital, and was then transferred to the trauma unit at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and then taken to Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters where he died.

David's family released a statement through the hospital saying they "appreciate the expressions of concern, sympathy and support they have received from the community and asks that prayers on their behalf continue."

"I speak for the entire city of Virginia Beach when I say how terribly saddened I am by this horrible accident," Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf said.

Shark attacks are exceptionally in Virginia Beach, according to Maylon White, curator of the Virginia Marine Science Museum. Officials believe Saturday's shark attack was the first in the Virginia Beach area in some 30 years.

In Florida, there have been 28 shark attacks this year. One of the Florida attacks severed the arm of 8-year-old Jessie Arbogast and left him in a light coma.

White noted that sharks in Virginia Beach waters are typically small varieties, such as sandbar, sand tiger and hammerhead. Rarely found are larger types such as tiger and bull sharks, he said. It's not known what type of shark attacked David Peltier.

In order to prevent further attacks in Virginia Beach waters this weekend, Mayor Oberndorf has asked city public safety officials to take all possible precautions to safeguard swimmers from shark attacks.

EMS will have boats patrolling all ocean waters and vehicles checking the oceanfront from the beaches.

All lifeguards will be briefed on searching for signs of sharks prior to beginning their watches. At any sign of shark, lifeguards will require swimmers to leave the water.

EMS officials urge swimmers to be alert and use caution in swimming in the ocean, especially in non-guarded areas.
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10-year-old boy dies from shark attack

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10-year-old boy dies from shark attack


VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. ---- Some wary beachgoers stayed on shore and authorities patrolled waters Sunday where a shark killed a 10-year-old boy, the first fatal shark attack in the United States this year.

The attack Saturday evening was the first in the area in 30 years.

"I'd rather give the shark a little time to get further down the coast," said Debbie Morris, 39, of Virginia Beach, who refused to allow her 11-year-old daughter into the water.

David Peltier of Richmond suffered a 17-inch gash to his left leg and lost large amounts of blood from a severed artery. He died Sunday morning at Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters in Norfolk.

David was bitten while surfing with his father and two brothers in about 4 feet of water on a sandbar about 150 feet from shore off Sandbridge Beach, said Ed Brazle, division chief for the city's Emergency Medical Services.

Richard Peltier spotted the shark and shouted to his three sons who were in the water. Peltier, a welder, hauled David onto his surfboard as the two older boys ran to shore, witnesses said.

The shark brushed Peltier's leg then lunged at David, who was freed from its jaws after his father hit the shark on its head. Richard Peltier then paddled to shore with his son, where witnesses and lifeguards administered first aid to the boy. Richard Peltier was treated for a hand injury.

Richard Peltier's brother, James, told The Virginian-Pilot he was not surprised by Richard's actions.

"He's very strong," James Peltier said. "He always has his head about him in emergencies."

The family refused interview requests and asked the hospital not to release details about David's injury or treatment.

The boy was planning to return to school Tuesday with his classmates at R.C. Longan Elementary. School district spokeswoman Janet Binns said counselors and social workers would be available for students.

Linda Garren, whose daughter, Dana, was one of David Peltier's classmates, said she was stunned.

"I'm really sad for the family," Garren said. "I can't even imagine how they might be feeling right now. My prayers and my thoughts go out to them because it could've been my daughter."

Sandbridge Beach is a remote coastal community of elevated vacation homes within the city of Virginia Beach. The beach was closed after the attack but Virginia Beach officials reopened it Sunday morning.

More than 40 EMS divers and a Jet Ski patrolled the beach, said Bruce Edwards, director of the city's Emergency Medical Services. The patrols were to continue Monday.

Scientists with the city's Virginia Marine Science Museum flew over the beaches in a police helicopter but didn't spot any sharks. Maylon White, the museum's curator, said authorities did not know what kind of shark attacked the boy, although it likely was a sandbar shark, which typically are 4 to 6 feet long.

Those sharks are not usually aggressive, White said.

"In many cases like this, the shark is feeding and it's after fish and it mistakes the person for the fish," he said.

There have been 49 shark attacks worldwide this year, with one fatal in Brazil, said George Burgess of the International Shark Attack File in Gainesville, Fla. Twenty-eight have been in Florida waters.

The 8-year-old boy attacked in July off Florida's Gulf Coast had his arm severed in a bull shark attack. Jessie Arbogast's arm was reattached but he remains in a light coma.

Two Americans also were attacked by sharks this summer in the Bahamas, and one's leg had to be amputated.

Last year, there were 84 shark attacks worldwide, 53 in the United States, Burgess said.

Several hundred people were at the southern end of the Sandbridge shore Sunday afternoon, but only a few were surfing and swimming near where David was attacked.

"Now that I know, I wouldn't get back in the water," said James Whitaker, 15, of Durham, N.C., who had been swimming with his boogie board.

Dorothy Jarrett, 39, of Virginia Beach, surveyed the crowd and said: "You can tell it scared a lot of people away."

But while some sunbathers admitted they were wary, others said they were sticking to the sand simply because of the yellow caution flags indicating rough waters.

9/3/01
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09/02/2001 David Peltier (Virginia) ***Fatal***

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Shark Attack at Beach in Virginia Kills Boy, David Peltier 10 A 10-year-old boy died early today after he was bitten in the leg by a shark while surfing at Sandbridge Beach


Published: September 3, 2001

A 10-year-old boy died early today after he was bitten in the leg by a shark while surfing at Sandbridge Beach here. It was the first fatal shark attack in the United States this year and the first one reported in the area in about 30 years.

The boy, David Peltier of Richmond, died at Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters in Norfolk at 3:45 a.m. The attack occurred on Saturday. The bite opened a 17-inch gash and severed an artery in David's left leg, and he lost a lot of blood, officials said.

The boy was with his father, Richard Peltier, and two brothers in about four feet of water on a sandbar about 150 feet from shore when the shark attacked him, Ed Brazle, division chief for Emergency Medical Services in Virginia Beach, said.

The shark released David from its jaws after Mr. Peltier hit it on the head. Mr. Peltier carried his son ashore, where witnesses and lifeguards administered first aid. Mr. Peltier was treated for a hand injury.

Sandbridge Beach is a remote coastal community of vacation homes in the city of Virginia Beach.

Maylon White, curator of the city's Virginia Marine Science Museum, said the shark was probably a sandbar shark. Sandbar sharks are typically four feet to six feet long and not usually aggressive, Mr. White said.

Forty-nine shark attacks have occurred around the world this year, with one previous fatal attack, in Brazil, said George Burgess of the International Shark Attack File in Gainesville, Fla. Twenty-eight attacks have been in Florida waters.

Last year, 84 shark attacks occurred, 53 of them in the United States, Mr. Burgess said.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.h ... ack&st=cse
Last edited by sharkbait on Sat Jul 14, 2007 10:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
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