FORT PIERCE, Fla. (WSVN) — A 13-year-old girl who came face-to-face with a shark while swimming at a Florida state park is opening up about the wild encounter that sent her to the hospital.
Thirteen-year-old Ella Reed believes she was attacked by a bull shark at least 4 feet long.
The incident happened Thursday afternoon at the Fort Pierce Inlet State Park, where, Reed said, she and a friend were in waist-deep water.
The young victim said the shark swam under the friend and headed straight toward her, first biting her in the abdomen.
“I tried blocking it with my arm and my hand, and it kind of just slipped in and got my finger and my arm, and it, like, swooped around and got my leg again,” she said. “It didn’t really hurt in the first part because all the adrenaline was just like – yeah, I don’t know. We were so shocked.”
Reed’s friend drove her home in a golf cart. Her parents brought her to a nearby fire station, and paramedics rushed her to the hospital.
Reed’s mother said her daughter was calm the whole time at the hospital, where she was treated and released.
According to data from the University of Florida, the U.S. has averaged 74 unprovoked shark bites per year since 2013.
Although attacks are rare, experts say one may further reduce the chances by taking the following steps:
- Exercise caution between sandbars where sharks like to hang out.
- Avoid going into the water when it’s dark.
- Avoid areas where people are fishing.
- If dolphins are in the water, do not assume there are no sharks, because the marine predators may be there to feed on the same types of fish that dolphins like.
- Stay with a buddy or in a group near the shore so help is readily available.
While Reed was following most of these tips, she was still attacked, but she said this is not going to dissuade her from returning to the beach. She plans to go back in the water once her stitches are out.
Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.