PACIFIC GROVE — The swimmer that was attacked by a great white shark at Lovers Point Beach Wednesday morning — 62-year-old Steve Bruemmer — is in fair condition and expected to make a full recovery, according to his doctors at Natividad Medical Center.
“The quick reaction of bystanders and EMTs placing tourniquets combined with the proximity of Natividad Trauma Center was crucial in saving Mr. Bruemmer’s life,” said Dr. Nicholas Rottler, one of Natividad’s trauma surgeons. Rottler and Dr. Kuong Ngann operated on Bruemmer for approximately two hours.
Bruemmer was swimming at Lovers Point in Pacific Grove shortly before 11 a.m. Wednesday when he was bitten by the shark. Witnesses saw him go underwater briefly before resurfacing and calling for help.
“The shark bite was unlucky, but after that, I’ve just had so much good luck,” Bruemmer said in a statement released to the media. “The day was so calm and warm and the beach was crowded. There were no waves and there was no chop. So people could hear me yelling ‘help’ from a great distance, including from the Rec Trail, where someone called 911.”
Salinas resident, Fernando Beltran, called 911 while a group of two paddleboarders and one surfer rushed out to assist Bruemmer in the water. The three bystanders were able to get Bruemmer onto an extra board and back onshore.
“I remember I was lying in the ambulance and I thought, ‘my lungs are good. I can breathe.’ So I didn’t know if I was going to bleed to death, but my lungs were good,” Bruemmer continued. “It seemed really lucky that the shark got me in a spot that seemed survivable.”
Rottler said that Bruemmer lost several liters of blood and required a blood transfusion of nearly 30 pints. He said that it was fortunate that first responders were able to get Bruemmer to the trauma center in under an hour, and if it had been a longer travel time, he could have lost much more blood.
“The fact that Natividad has a trauma center was a lifesaver,” said Bruemmer. “Without all those things going right, I could have bled out.”
Bruemmer’s wife, Brita Bruemmer, thanked the good Samaritans who rescued him, the first responders and the trauma team at Natividad for saving Bruemmer’s life. She said that if people really want to help, they should donate blood.
“We are so grateful for the blood, he needed a huge amount of blood and they had it at Natividad Medical Center,” she said. “That doesn’t happen if people don’t donate. Thank you to the people who have already donated for Steve. They helped save his life.”
Dr. Alexander Di Stante, Natividad’s trauma medical director and chief of surgery, said of the few shark attacks he’s seen at Natividad since the trauma center opened in 2015, Bruemmer’s was the most severe.
“He’s lucky he’s alive,” Stante admitted.
Stante said the severe nature of Bruemmer’s injuries was because the great white’s bite covered both of his legs, his arm and his abdomen. He explained that in many shark attacks involving surfers, the shark bites a limb or the board and then releases, but because Bruemmer was swimming, there was nothing between him and the shark.
Rottler said Bruemmer’s injuries were fortunate, as there was no damage to any major arteries, bones or organs.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife analyzed forensic evidence and confirmed the species of shark involved was a great white. Ken Paglia, the department’s information officer for the Bay Delta and Central regions, explained that it would be ‘nearly impossible’ to track down the exact shark responsible for the attack, as white sharks are highly mobile and travel extreme distances.
John Ugoretz, program manager for the department’s marine region, explained that most incidents where sharks bite people are accidents and occur when the shark mistook the person as a seal or sea lion.
White sharks are protected in California under both state and federal laws. According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, it is illegal to catch, pursue, hunt, capture or kill a white shark.
“Sharks, unlike some terrestrial mammals, do not become habituated to humans and other terrestrial predators that may lose their natural fear or have other issues that lead them to repeatedly interact with people,” Ugoretz explained.
Paglia said Bruemmer’s attack was the 16th shark-attack incident in Monterey County since 1950, two of which were fatal. Wednesday’s attack was only the second reported incident at Lovers Point. Barry Wilson, 16, was killed by a great white shark in 1952 while he was swimming.
“Most important, we should reinforce the idea that the ocean is a wilderness,” Ugoretz said. “Just like when you go into the forest and may encounter a bear, when you go in the ocean, you may encounter a shark.”
But the chance of that is extremely low, he continued. In fact — the most dangerous animal in the ocean in terms of the number of people injured is the round stingray, and Ugoretz said hundreds of people are stung each year.
“So when you go into the water, I’d recommend shuffling your feet to avoid stingrays rather than searching the horizon for a shark fin,” he said.
Source: www.mercurynews.com