A day of leisure at South Padre Island turned tragic when Tabatha Sullivent experienced a shark attack, resulting in serious injuries.
Video footage captured the dramatic scene as Sullivent was pulled from the water, with part of her leg missing and the shark that attacked her still nearby.
“It’s surreal to think I was attacked by a shark. It’s kind of unbelievable,” Sullivent shared with NBC News.
Hailing from Celina, Sullivent was among four individuals who encountered the same 6-foot-long shark on July 4.
“At first, I thought it was a large fish, so I tried to kick it away. That’s when it bit me. If I hadn’t pulled my legs up, it could have targeted my torso or something worse,” she recounted.
On a GoFundMe page established for Tabatha and her husband, Cary Sullivent, she posted an update from her hospital bed:
“I lost my left calf. I have movement in my toes and circulation in my foot. I probably won’t regain full mobility, and my leg won’t be the same. But, I’m alive.”
Cary, who bravely fought off the shark alongside her, also sustained bites but has since been discharged.
“That shark wasn’t in more than waist-deep water,” noted Kyle Jud, another North Texas visitor who witnessed the incident. He described how beach-goers rallied to assist Sullivent.
“The entire time, the shark was circling right there in the shallow water. We could clearly see the large shark with its tail and dorsal fin out of the water, circling as she was being helped,” he recalled.
Jud commended the swift response of first responders.
Sullivent expressed deep gratitude to her husband for saving her life.
“He fought off a shark for me. That’s incredibly brave,” she remarked.
Now, she faces an uncertain path to recovery.
“I’m grateful for all the support, and most of all, that I’m alive,” Sullivent stated.
Officials reported that Thursday’s shark attacks were the first in the area in five years.
