OAK ISLAND, N.C. -- Officials have released more detail about the victims of two shark attacks on Oak Island Sunday.
The two victims are in fair condition but they "have a long road ahead of them," according to hospital officials.
Twelve year-old Kiersten Yow from Archdale, lost part of her arm and sustained tissue damage to her left leg. She was transported to another hospital for further treatment.
Sixteen year-old Hunter Treschel of Colorado Springs lost his left arm at the shoulder.
"Obviously anytime someone is going under a traumatic accident like this.. It's a long recovery. I think in general people are first thankful they're alive then the gravity of their injuries then set in," said Dr. Borden Hooks of New Hanover Regional Hospital.
Officials say the attacks happened 90 minutes apart and about two miles away from each other. They said if it weren't for the quick reactions of the people on the beach, the victims may not be alive.
"The bystanders...to go ahead and start the process of stopping the bleeding, that was the biggest concern with these, with these patients was the the blood loss. And without that, we would of had a different outcome," said Brunswick County Emergency Services Director Brian Watt.
Officials don't know if the same shark attacked both victims but are working to locate the shark involved.
Both victims were reported to be about 20 yards offshore and in waist-deep water, according to officials. The incident happened around the Ocean Crest Pier in Oak Island.
The same emergency crew responded to both calls.
"Well there's no way that we're going to stop people from going into the water. If they want to go into the water, they can go into it. There's riptides out there. There are people shooting fireworks off at the Fourth of July and we tell them not to do that either. There's no way we can control that. We can advise people just to be careful and be alert," said Fire Chief Chris Anselmo.
When asked, Oak Island Town Manager Tim Holloman said he would go in the water. He also provided tips to stay safe in the water, which included being aware of fish swimming patterns.
Officials also say to stay safe swimmers should never swim alone, avoid areas where people are fishing and pay attention to your surroundings.
Parents Brian and Laurie Yow of 12-year-old victim Kiersten released the following statement:
"Our daughter, Kiersten Yow, was the female victim of Sunday’s shark attacks on Oak Island. As the media is reporting, she lost a portion of her left arm (below the elbow) and suffered injuries to her left leg.
Kiersten was taken to New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington immediately after the incident and was transferred to N.C. Children’s Hospital at UNC yesterday, where she remains in stable condition and is receiving excellent care. She has a long road to recovery that will include surgeries and rehabilitation, but her doctors at UNC expect she will keep her leg, and for that we are grateful.
We want to thank the good Samaritans and emergency responders whose clear heads and quick actions saved Kiersten’s life. We also thank her extraordinary doctors and nurses in Wilmington and Chapel Hill.
This has been an extraordinarily traumatic event for our entire family. We need time and space to come to terms with what has happened and to help Kiersten recover.
We appreciate the public’s well wishes and prayers, but we ask that the media please respect our privacy as we navigate this difficult situation—privately, as a family."
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