OCEAN CITY, Md.- Twelve-year-year-old Jordan Prushinski is recovering this week, after doctors say she was bit by a shark in Ocean City.
The incident happened Monday afternoon, as the family was enjoying a day at the beach for their family vacation. WARNING: THE FOLLOWING IMAGES MAY BE DISTURBING TO SOME.
The Prushinski family says their daughter was bit by a shark on 119th Street in shallow waters.
Although Ocean City Beach Patrol has not confirmed it was a shark bite, they say something like this has never happened in Maryland history. WRDE spoke with Jordan and she is doing just fine.
“I just saw the blood and the wounds, and I didn't know how deep it was,” said Melissa Prushinski, Jordan’s mother.
Another fun day at the beach turned into a nightmare when Jordan ran out of the ocean with bleeding wounds.
Melissa Prushinski
“A wave had crashed. It felt like something ran into my legs, like a horseshoe crab got picked up and ran into my legs, that's what I thought it was, so I ran out and I found blood everywhere once I'm out of the water,” said Jordan.
Her mom and Ocean City lifeguards sprung into action.
"She was running out of the water and said ‘mom, something bit me,’ and I took one look at her leg, sat her down, and ran to get the lifeguard for assistance,” said Melissa.
Jordan's father Robert got the call while he was at home. He recalled the nerve wracking moment searching for his daughter in a crowd of people.
"When I showed up they had her bandaged up and looking pretty good, the kid was somewhat calm!" said her father.
The family then drove a surprisingly calm Jordan to Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin. She says she didn't feel much pain.
“Even looking at the lacerations you could see the inside of my shin,” said Jordan.
Jordan was given 42 stitches for her shark-induced cuts.
"The ER doctors came in and said without a doubt it's a shark bite, no other animal makes a wound, a bite like this,” said Melissa.
The Ocean City Beach Patrol is currently investigating and they say there is no need to worry because this was an isolated incident.
"I'm not the expert at bite patterns so I brought in experts, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, people who study this stuff so they can give input to what potentially caused this injury,” said Beach Patrol Captain, Butch Arbin.
Arbin has not ruled out a shark or some other type of sea life, but will not say exactly what had happened. The beach patrol does say, “this was not an attack.”
"We may never know definite what it was, nothing was seen, there was no evidence other than the wound left behind,” said Arbin.
Unfortunately, Jordan is missing a softball tournament this weekend, but she knows exactly what to tell her team.
"That I was bit by a shark and it gives me a good story to tell my friends,” she laughed.
She is now back at the beach house with a little limp, but smiling nonetheless.
There is no timeline for when the investigation will be finished. Melissa says they have to keep Jordan's wound clean and watch for infection. But she says she's thankful for the help from beach patrol, doctors, and is glad the injury is not as deep as she expected.