Teenager recovers from shark bite at North Topsail Beach, North Carolina

Jason O. Boyd and Ken Watlington

17 minutes ago

NORTH TOPSAIL BEACH, N.C. (WNCT) – A 14-year-old West Virginia boy is recovering after being bitten by a shark over the weekend in North Topsail Beach.

Police said it happened on Sunday afternoon near Beach Access number four. The teen was transported to a local hospital. Authorities said there were no reports of seeing the shark.

Blayne Brown is from West Virginia and was traveling to the area when the attack occurred. He was at North Topsail Beach Access #4 around 12:30 a.m. Sunday. Brown said a friend who was in the water with him ran away and, before he could understand why, a shark bit him twice on the leg and ankle.

“So she ran away, and then right after she ran away, I think it bit me.” Then I had to get out of the ocean by myself,” Brown said.

North Topsail Beach Police Chief William Younginer said police and EMS were already nearby responding to another call when Brown was bitten.

“So you got back to him in about two minutes, which was great. Passersby were already putting a towel on it and applying pressure, which is what you should do,” Younginer said.

Brown said that after being bitten, many beachgoers continued to swim, even after he was on the beach with his injuries.

“I was in the water, like I was screaming for help. People looked at me and thought I was just yelling for the sake of yelling,” Brown said. “I didn’t even know there was a shark that bit me. This scared me so much.

North Carolina ranks fifth for shark attacks in the world, according to the Florida Museum's Shark File. There have been 77 unprovoked attacks since 1935.

“They should think about it, but not worry too much about it,” Younginer said. “What you should really think about is riptides, riptides and that sort of thing and learning how to navigate it. Go ahead and swim sideways and things like that, because that's most likely what you're going to get.

After surgery, Brown underwent physical therapy Monday. Doctors say he should be released from the hospital soon.