Local

Shark bite leaves North Carolina teen with 40 puncture wounds

OUTER BANKS, N.C. — A teenage boy was left with 40 puncture wounds after being bitten by a shark last week on North Carolina’s Outer Banks.

Local news outlets reported Monday that Oak Ridge resident Nick Arthur was bitten on the left leg Thursday just yards off the beach at Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

The bite came while the 16-year-old Arthur was jumping over waves on a sandbar near an off-road vehicle ramp. The ramp is just south of the town of Salvo.

The shark let go of Arthur after his father hit it on the snout.

The boy was taken to Nags Head for treatment and received several stitches. He did not have serious injuries. His family said that the attack happened about 25 feet from shore.

Researchers have said it’s not unusual for lots of sharks to hang out near the Carolina coast.