Days after a shark attack in the Florida panhandle cost teenager Lulu Gribbin her left hand and right leg, her mother said the first words she uttered after surgery were “I made it.” Gribbin was one of three people injured in shark attacks on Friday over the course of about 90 minutes in Walton County. In a post on Caringbridge.org, Lulu Gribbin’s mother, Ann Blair Gribbin, said the attack happened during her first mother-daughter beach trip with Lulu.
Gribbin, 15, was the second person bitten, and her friend McCray Faust suffered minor injuries to her foot. Walton County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Corey Dobridnia said in a statement Monday that the victims are in stable condition despite “life-altering injuries.” Dobridnia also encouraged beachgoers to watch for beach flags and be aware of their surroundings in the water. Authorities closed area beaches Friday and posted warning flags indicating high hazards on Saturday.