Every now and then, EMS providers respond to a call involving a creature from the deep. From shark attacks (or sharks on a highway), to an aggressive sea lion or a school of carnivorous fish, some of these tales are enough to put even the most experienced seaman on edge.
They range from silly, to serious, and some have resulted in deaths.
Medic saves shark attack victim with boogie board string
Vacationing medic Marie Hildreth used a boogie board string as a tourniquet for the 12-year-old’s arm, and a string from a beach tent to stop the bleeding on her leg
Truck carrying sharks crashes on Fla. highway
A semi-truck carrying five sharks crashed on a Florida highway. An aquarium was damaged and one of the sharks died.
Man impaled, killed by swordfish’s bill
Firefighters tried to resuscitate the Hawaii man, who had a puncture wound to his right, upper torso
Calif. fisherman describes attack by sea lion
As his wife was taking a picture of a fish he just caught, he described the moment a sea lion grabbed the fish and his hand, and dragged him underwater
Fla. teen survives shark attack
The seasoned surfer screamed for an ambulance as the shark tore into his arm
70 injured in carnivorous fish attack in Argentina
An attack by a school of carnivorous fish has injured 70 people bathing in an Argentine river, including seven children who lost parts of their fingers or toes.
2 fishermen overcome by rotting-fish gas in Maine
The smell left one fisherman unconscious, who was flown by helicopter to a hospital, and the other is being treated at another hospital