The Dorsal Fin

According to various media outlets, including North Carolina’s WITN-7, a 54-year-old South Carolina man, was bitten by a shark about 13 miles of the coast of Morehead City, NC. Donnie White was on a fishing boat and had entered the water to cool off when he was bitten on the lower leg, according to reports. He was taken to Carteret General Hospital. While White’s injuries do not appear to be life-threatening, his condition has not been released.

WITN.com is reporting that a 10-year-old Pennsylvania girl is recovering from a shark bite which happened at North Carolina’s North Topsail Beach last Sunday. Cassidy Cartwright was bitten in 3-feet-deep when she felt a tug on her foot. Cartwright said she was bitten twice. She was air-lifted to a hospital at Chapel Hill and is expected to be released soon.

ABC News reports Carolyn Cartwright, the mother of the victim, has criticized local authorities for not informing others about the shark bite.

ABC News also reports that a shark tooth was removed from the leg of Cartwright by doctors at UNC Children’s Hospital at Chapel Hill. The species has yet to be identified in any media reports that I’ve seen or read, but with a tooth of the shark being removed from the victim’s wounds, it seems like identification should be fairly straightforward.

Here’s to a speedy and full recovery for Cassidy Cartwright.

In an update to yesterday’s post, multiple news sources are now reporting that the state medical examiner’s office has changed the cause of death from shark attack to accidental drowning, in the case of a 60-year old Pennsylvania man who went missing last month after going for a late-night swim off of Corolla Beach in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The Virginia Pilot, is now reporting that "a spokesman for the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, where the autopsy was conducted, confirmed the change in the cause of death." In addition, East Carolina Radio News is also reporting that a report from the office of the medical examiner in Greenville, NC states that the victim had drowned prior to sustaining shark bites.

It is unclear how or why the cause of the death was apparently misdiagnosed. As one reader commented at the Virginia Pilot article, “I hope this does not add to the family’s anguish.”

WAVY-TV 10 reported earlier today that the North Carolina state Medical Examiner has now ruled the death of a 60-year old Pennsylvania man as an accidental drowning. Last month, it was reported that the Medical Examiner was seeking a second opinion on the cause of death. According to the WAVY-TV 10 article, "The Medical Examiner’s Office in Greenville, N.C. reviewed images of the body with marine biologists and came to the conclusion that [the victim] accidentally drowned. A shark did not kill him."

The WAVY-TV 10 story, which appeared in Google News listings, has since disappeared.

Interestingly enough, the article, which was published today at 1:01 EDT, has since been pulled from the WAVY-TV 10 website. The article is still appearing in Google News listings and is available for viewing through a cached Google page, although it is not clear why the story has been pulled from the website. This reported new finding by the Medical Examiner has yet to appear at any other local media sources that I have been able to track down. The fact that it was pulled from WAVY.com not long after it was published and the lack of the report showing up elsewhere draw the validity of the story into question, at this time.

Regardless of the Medical Examiner’s ultimate ruling, the loss of the victim’s life is no less tragic. My thoughts and sympathies go out to his friends and family. I have chosen not to repeat the victim’s name regarding this news (or, perhaps, falsely reported news), as I’m sure having his name appearing in the news, yet again, likely will serve only to remind those he left behind of their tragic loss.

A state medical examiner from North Carolina is seeking the opinion of George Burgess in the death of Richard Sneed. Sneed was reported missing on September 13 after he did not return from a late night swim. His body was found on the shore of Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, according to NBC-2. The autopsy report listed shark attack as the cause of death for Sneed. However, News Channel WTKR, the medical examiner has requested Burgess’ opinion on the cause of death. Burgess expressed that it might be difficult to determine whether the shark bites Sneed sustained were the cause of death or had occurred post mortem, due to the fact that Sneed’s body had been in the water for several days.

The loss of Richard Sneed is a tragedy regardless of the cause of death. My condolences and sympathy go out to the friends and family of Mr. Sneed.