The Sunday shark attack off North Carolina that cost a teenager her leg ended when the girl’s father “punched the shark in the face,” according to Janet Winter, identified as the girl’s grandmother.
Paige Winter, 17, of Havelock was attacked by a shark while standing in waist-deep water off Fort Macon, as her father stood nearby, according to a GoFundMe page that has raised more than $23,000.
The father, Charlie Winter, is a Havelock firefighter and paramedic and served in the Marines, according to the campaign.
Paige Winter lost part of one leg above the knee and some fingers, Janet Winter posted on her Facebook page.
- RELATED: Go to Paige Winter's GoFundMe page to find out how to help her family pay for her medical bills
“Thank God our son was with her,” the woman wrote on Facebook. “He said he punched the shark in the face five times before it let go.”
Family friend Brandon Bersch confirmed the punches in a Monday interview with the “Today” show, saying Charlie Winter “began striking the shark on the nose.”
“Charlie wouldn’t stop until it released his little girl,” Bersch told the show. “He lives for his children.”
Marcy Goodrum Winter, the girl’s mother, posted on Facebook that her daughter was “groggy but cracking jokes” after her first surgery on Sunday. “She wants everyone to know that sharks are still good people,” her mom was quoted saying on the GoFundMe page.
Paige Winter is a junior at New Bern High School in eastern North Carolina, according to the school’s Facebook page. New Bern is about 120 miles southeast of Raleigh.
Charlie Winter’s fearless attack on the shark has won him praise across the country, particularly from news outlets that cover the U.S. Marines. “Who needs a bigger boat when you have a Marine’s fists?” wrote TaskandPurpose.com.
The “horrific shark attack” occurred about 12:20 p.m. Sunday off Fort Macon State Park at Atlantic Beach, according to the GoFundMe page. Paige Winter was taken to Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, where she was listed in good condition after surgery, according to the GoFundMe page.
“Her family expresses their appreciation for the first responders, the individuals on the beach who helped and her heroic father who saved her life,” the page says. “Despite this unfortunate circumstance, Paige is an unwavering advocate for the marine life and the animals.”
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