Teen: I Won't Let Shark Attack Ruin My Life

Hunter Treschl says he 'didn't see it coming' before NC attack
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 17, 2015 9:10 AM CDT

The way Hunter Treschl sees it, he's got two ways to deal with losing his arm to a shark Sunday in North Carolina: He can let his injury ruin his life, or "I can try to live my life the way I was." In a series of videos released last night by the New Hanover Regional Medical Center, where Hunter is currently in good condition after his left arm was amputated below the shoulder, he picks the latter, the AP reports. "There's really only one that I would actually choose, and that's to try to fight and live a normal life with the cards I've been dealt," he said. Of what he remembers of the attack, "I didn't see it coming," he said, per CNN. "I was just in about waist-deep water, playing with my cousin … and I felt this kind of hit on my left leg … like it was a big fish. … The first I saw it was when it was biting up my left arm—and got that off."

Locals are still reeling from the back-to-back attacks, a rare occurrence on North Carolina beaches: Only four or five people are bitten by sharks there in a typical year, CNN notes, and the Oak Island fire chief tells the New York Daily News that "in the 16 years I've been here on this island in the fire department, I've never had a shark attack—and [this time it] was two." Meanwhile, Kiersten Yow, who's been reported as being 12 or 13, is in stable condition at North Carolina Children's Hospital; she was attacked shortly before Hunter about 2 miles away and lost her left arm below the elbow and suffered severe injuries to her leg, the AP notes. A statement by her parents, however, notes that while "she has a long road to recovery that will include surgeries and rehabilitation ... her doctors at UNC expect she will keep her leg, and for that we are grateful." (Oak Island beaches are staying open.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X