FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A 22-year-old Sunrise woman who was bitten by a shark while swimming in the Intracoastal Waterway in Fort Lauderdale recalled the experience as "quite scary."
Jessica Vaughn spoke about the attack Monday afternoon at a news conference at Broward Health Medical Center.
Vaughn said she was waiting for her turn to go tubing Sunday when she felt a throbbing pain in her leg.
"It felt like somebody punched my leg," Vaughn said. "At first, I wasn't sure, but then once I saw my leg I was like that's not just a fish."
Friends pulled her back on the boat and took her to shore.
Vaughn underwent surgery to mend her massive puncture wound, but no blood vessels or nerves were damaged. Dr. Zoran Potparic said he expects her to make a full recovery.
Potparic called it the largest shark bite he has ever treated.
"I think she was lucky," Potparic said.
Timothy Heiser, a division chief for Fort Lauderdale Fire-Rescue, said he believes it's the first shark attack in the city.