A 17-year-old boy was rushed to a Galveston trauma center after suffering a severe shark bite while offshore, officials confirmed.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A 17-year-old boy is being treated at the UTMB Health Trauma Center in Galveston after suffering a severe shark bite while offshore, according to the U.S. Coast Guard station in Galveston.

Officials said authorities were alerted around 3:30 p.m. that a boat carrying the injured teen was heading toward Galveston after the bite occurred approximately two hours earlier.



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Emergency responders, including the U.S. Coast Guard, Galveston Island Beach Patrol and Galveston EMS, were called into action after the boat reportedly lost power as it approached the island.

Galveston Island Beach Patrol Chief Austin Kirwin said lifeguards launched on a personal watercraft and reached the disabled vessel at nearly the same time as a Coast Guard response boat.

The Coast Guard then transported the teenager to its Galveston base, where paramedics rushed him by ambulance to the trauma center at UTMB Health’s John Sealy Hospital.

Officials said the teen had lost a significant amount of blood and was reportedly drifting in and out of consciousness during the rescue response. His current condition has not been released.

Authorities have not provided details on how the teen ended up in the water or the exact offshore location where the shark bite occurred. 

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