A woman visiting Florida from Germany was bitten by a shark in Vero Beach Wednesday while she was standing in waist-deep water, TCpalm reported.
Karin Ulrike Stei, 47, was listed in stable condition Wednesday afternoon at Lawnwood Regional Medical Center & Heart Institute in Fort Pierce. She sustained a 12-inch laceration to her left thigh that left her bone visible, according to authorities.
Police said Stei was in the water with her friend Brigitte Schmid about 25 yards offshore when the shark attacked the vacationer. Schmid said that she heard Stei yell “Shark” while in a pool of blood.
Lifeguard Erik Toomsoo, who said he also saw the woman surrounded by blood, rescued the woman from the water.
"I was just doing my job. I just hope she's all right," he was quoted as saying.
Off-duty lifeguard Shanna Beard said the injured woman was awake and talking after the ordeal.
"She's a very strong-willed woman," Beard was quoted as saying.
Recreation Director Rob Slezak, who said there were no more sharks than usual, said beachgoers were ordered to stay out of the water throughout the day Wednesday.
