When a drill becomes the real thing

What if your crew got organized to practice a man overboard drill, and on the way out somebody fell off the boat and the drill suddenly got real? That happened when New York lifeguards on a Long Island beach were having a shark attack training exercise.

The lifeguard, a 10-year veteran with the Suffolk County, had been playing the role of a victim during the training exercise when an unprecedented shark attack occurred in the morning of on July 4. The shark, estimated to be 4-to 5-feet-long shark, bit the lifeguard in the chest and on the hand.

The shark’s species was not immediately known and the lifeguard was expected to recover. After the attack, the lifeguard received immediate treatment from other officials already engaged in the training. He was then taken to a hospital to be treated for his injuries.

“If you’re going to have an encounter with a shark this is probably the best scenario you could have,” said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. “We have never had an incident like this occur. Hopefully we never will again.”