A beach town in Texas is under siege from a lone shark which has attacked four swimmers in a matter of days.
Tabatha Sullivent was one of the victims stalked and mauled by the predator along South Padre Island on July Fourth. She was left bleeding after the shark ripped a huge chunk of flesh from her calf.
Bystanders rushed to wrap a makeshift tourniquet below her knee before she was hauled to shore by a team of rescuers.
She was taken to a nearby hospital where she is in stable condition. Her husband Cary Sullivent was mildly injured in the ordeal as he rushed to help.
Tabatha was the second person to be bitten by the same shark on the beach and another person suffered minor injuries as they tried to fight off the predator.
A beach town in Texas is under siege from a lone shark which has attacked four swimmers in a matter of days
Tabatha Sullivent (right) was stalked and mauled by the predator along South Padre Island on July Fourth. She was left bleeding after the shark ripped a huge chunk of flesh from her calf
In footage of the incident, a dorsal fin can be seen swimming back and forth near the shoreline as Tabatha lays on the sand.
A huge chunk of flesh was ripped from her calf by the shark in the shocking attack.
Blood from her wound can be seen turning the waters washing up on the beach a dark red, while bystanders wrap a tourniquet around her leg.
Her husband Cary received minor injuries while trying to help her fight off the shark.
Their daughter Skylar Sullivent shared an update on their condition later that evening on Facebook.
'I can’t believe I’m even having to type this. My mom Tabatha Sullivent was one of people attacked by a shark in South Padre this morning,' she wrote.
'She is in stable condition at a hospital nearby and waiting for surgery in the morning. My dad also received minor injuries but has been cleared by the hospital.
'My mom is trying to get as much rest as she can and figure out the road ahead. Recovery will be a long process but I know she will get through it.
Bystanders rushed to wrap a makeshift tourniquet below her knee following the attack
The incident happened on South Padre Island, Texas, on Thursday morning and she had to be hauled to shore by a team of rescuers
Due to the shark, officers deployed drones, boats and helicopters to locate the predator
'I want to thank everyone who helped my family and my mom this morning during the incident.'
The couple were at the beach celebrating their daughter's 15th birthday before their 'world turned upside down'.
Skylar set up a fundraising page on GoFundMe to help raise funds for her mother's recovery. More than $4,600 has been donated so far.
According to a statement by Texas Parks and Wildlife, Tabatha was one of two people bitten at the beach on Independence Day.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife statement said: 'Details at this time indicate that two people were bitten and two people encountered the shark but were not seriously injured.
Tabatha was taken to a nearby hospital where she is in stable condition. Her husband Cary Sullivent (right) was mildly injured in the ordeal as he rushed to help
She was the second person to be bitten by the same shark on the beach
Another person suffered minor injuries as they tried to fight off the predator
'The two victims who were bitten were transported to Valley Regional Medical Center in Brownsville where one is being treated and the other has been flown out for further treatment.
'Local game wardens and members of the Texas Game Warden Marine Tactical Operations Group assisted in patrolling the beach by boat and land patrol while DPS patrolled the area by helicopter and SPI PD and Cameron County rangers assisted with crowd control on the beach. No further details are known at this time.'
The statement added that shark encounters are not a common occurrence in Texas, and when they do happen it is usually a case of mistaken identity.
'Game Warden Capt. Chris Dowdy with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said that authorities believe a single shark about 6 feet long was responsible.'
