Teen who survived shark assault requires modifications to maintain folks protected within the water | EUROtoday

An Alabama teenager who survived a shark assault final 12 months has known as for a brand new alert system to guard others.

Lulu Gribbin, 16, was considered one of three folks attacked by a shark on June 7, 2024, throughout a sequence of incidents off the Florida Panhandle. The assault resulted within the lack of her left hand and a part of her leg.

On Wednesday, she urged Alabama lawmakers to assist a proposed shark assault alert system.

Republican Representative David Faulkner’s invoice goals to create a system much like Amber Alerts, notifying the general public of unprovoked shark assaults within the space.

“Ninety minutes before me, there was another shark attack a couple miles down the coast,” Gribbin stated. Had she identified about that assault, she and her pal wouldn’t have ventured into the water that day, she stated. “This bill will help prevent future attacks and accidents.”

While the proposal would solely impression the Alabama coast, Faulkner hopes different states will pursue comparable programs or that federal laws would develop its use.

“There had been a shark attack just down the beach, and yet she had no notice. And I felt like in this day and age, that’s something we shouldn’t let happen,” Faulkner stated.

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The Alabama House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee superior the invoice Wednesday. It now strikes to the total Alabama House of Representatives.

The invoice, which might title the alert system for Gribbin, was modified to situation an alert solely when an unprovoked assault occurred off the coast.

An earlier model would have allowed an alert for an “imminent danger” from sharks. There have been considerations from seaside communities that language was too imprecise and will result in an extreme variety of alerts, inflicting panic and doubtlessly hurting the tourism business.

Gribbin and her pal had been diving for sand {dollars} earlier than the assault. They have been using the waves again to the seaside when her pal screamed, “shark!”

“I saw a big shadow, but we all just started swimming for our lives,” She recalled. She said she tried to remain calm, remembering that sharks were supposed to be attracted to frantic motion. Then the shark attacked her and her friend.

“My hand was bitten first. I bear in mind simply lifting it out of the water, and I used to be surprised as a result of there was no hand there. I couldn’t really feel it due to all of the shock I used to be in. Then the shark latched onto my leg,” she recalled.

A man she describes as a hero ran to pull her from the water. She blacked out and came to on the shore where a doctor and other medical workers, who were on the beach that day, rushed to save her. “I remember being focused just to keep my eyes open and to breathe, to just be able to make it to the hospital,” she said.

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Her lengthy recovery has been documented on social media. As she visited the Alabama Statehouse, people frequently stopped to ask for photographs and to tell her that her story has been an inspiration.

While sharks are commonly found in the waters off Alabama and Florida, shark attacks are rare, according to experts. There were 47 unprovoked bites last year worldwide, according to the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Wednesday urged lawmakers to approve the legislation, saying it will be an “added software” to keep people safe.

“Lulu is truly an inspiration and an awesome example of courage. Let’s be Lulu strong and get this bill to my desk so I can sign it into law,” Ivey stated in a press release issued by her workplace.