Virginia woman attacked by shark ‘continues to make progress’

GLEN ALLEN, Va. – A Virginia woman who was seriously injured in a shark attack on Florida’s Gulf Coast on Friday “continues to make progress,” according to an update from her church in Glen Allen.

Winns Baptist Church, of which Elisabeth Foley is a member, said she was on vacation with her family in Walton County, Florida, when she was attacked by a shark.

The 45-year-old wife and mother of three suffered severe injuries to her midsection and lost her left hand.

Ryan Foley told the congregation Saturday that his wife is “hanging in there and has a super positive attitude,” the church said.

“She has taken quite a beating. Thank God she is so tough and in great physical shape. Her faith is what gets her through it, along with countless other blessings,” he wrote.

Her family is accepting donations to help cover medical expenses. Click here to make a donation.

“All donations will go directly to her family to cover medical and logistical costs as Elisabeth begins her recovery,” church officials said.

Walton County Sheriff’s Office

Foley’s husband also wrote: “Please keep praying.”

Foley was the first attacker to be attacked by a shark in Walton County on Friday afternoon.

According to South Walton Fire Chief Ryan Crawford, she was bitten by a shark near WaterSound Beach and suffered severe injuries to her midsection, requiring part of her arm to be amputated.

Less than two hours later, firefighters responded to another beach about 4 miles east of the first attack “after receiving multiple reports of a teenager injured by a shark,” the sheriff’s office said.

South Walton Fire District

Two teenagers were in waist-deep water with a group of friends when they were attacked, the South Walton Fire District said.

“When lifeguards and deputies arrived on scene, they found one of the women had significant injuries to her thigh and hand,” firefighters said in an update. She was flown to a trauma center. The other teen had what officials described as minor injuries to a foot.

There is no way to determine whether one or two sharks were involved in Friday’s attacks, but there are more sharks in the Gulf of Mexico than in recent years, Chapman said.

South Walton Fire District

The timing of the attacks — mid-afternoon — was also unusual, said Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson. Sheriff’s officials often warn people to be on the lookout for sharks early in the morning and at dusk, which are typical feeding times, he noted.

Also on Friday, a woman was seriously injured in a suspected shark attack in the waters off the island of Oahu, Hawaii officials said.

Experts say shark attacks are rare. According to the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File, there were 69 unprovoked bites worldwide last year, 10 of which were fatal. That’s more than the recent average of six deaths per year.