Camp Lejeune Marine treated for shark bite off NC coast

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (AP) -- A Marine was bitten by a shark off the North Carolina coast last weekend, the eighth such attack in the past three weeks, medical personnel from Camp Lejeune said Monday.

Camp Lejeune Naval Hospital spokesman Raymond Applewhite told WITN-TV in Washington the 32-year-old Marine was bitten offshore at Surf City on July 4. Base spokesman Nat Fahy said Monday that the Marine suffered lacerations to his right hand and forearm.

Fahy said the patient was taken to the Camp Lejeune hospital by a friend late Saturday night. He was released early Sunday.

Prior to the latest attack, North Carolina had already set a record for the most shark bites off the state's coast in the 80 years in which records have been kept.

Most of this year's shark attacks along the North Carolina coast happened in shallow water. Injuries have ranged widely, from an 8-year-old boy who had only minor wounds to his heel and ankle to at least two others who had limbs amputated.

Gov. Pat McCrory has said safety officials are trying to find patterns in the attacks that might keep the coast safe for visitors.

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