10-year-old boy dies after shark attack along Virginia coast

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The father punched the shark's mouth, poked its eye, finally wrestled his 10-year-old son's leg from its jaws and dragged the boy to shore.

On the beach, rescuers wrapped the young surfer's wound with towels and called for help.

But yesterday, 10 hours after the attack ended his surfing outing with his family, David Peltier became the first person in Virginia's history to be killed by a shark.

He also became the first person in the United States this year to die of shark-inflicted injuries.

Despite the death, tourists flocked to area beaches yesterday on the summer season's final weekend. Sandbridge Beach, where the attack occurred, remained open with safety officials patrolling the shore. But no additional reports of sharks came in.

David Peltier was surfing 50 yards offshore in 4 feet of water when the attack occurred about 6 p.m. Saturday. He was with his father and two brothers. The shark, from 7 to 9 feet long, swam toward the boy while he was standing in the water, witnesses said.

The father, Richard Peltier Jr., yelled at his two other sons to get on their surfboards and frantically tried to pull David onto his own board as the shark clamped onto the boy's left leg.

"The father punched the shark and tried to punch the shark's mouth open," said Ed Brazle, spokesman for Virginia Beach Emergency Medical Services. "He then poked the shark in the eye with his fingers ... at which point the shark released the boy."

The father pulled his son to shore, where lifeguards, who rushed from their posts at a neighboring beach, and bystanders began first aid. An ambulance arrived in about six minutes.

The boy was taken to a local hospital before he was transferred to a hospital in Norfolk. He died after having lost too much blood from the attack, which severed a main artery in his thigh and left him with a 17-inch gash.

The father required 12 stitches in his hand. He and his other sons were secluded yesterday, making arrangements with the family pastor for David's funeral.

James Peltier, David's uncle, described his brother and his nephews as avid surfers.

"He doesn't want anyone to think (David) was just a swimmer," he said. "He wasn't a vacationer. This was his life."

David surfed year-round after learning the sport three years ago, his uncle said, and the boy wanted to spend the last days of his summer vacation in the water.

"He just wanted to go surfing because school was about to start," Peltier said. "He died doing what he loved doing."

The area of Sandbridge where David was attacked is known as Little Island Park. It has no lifeguards, unlike some of the city's busier beaches. The shoreline is a rich habitat for dolphins, so sometimes beachgoers will confuse dolphins' fins with those of sharks.

Experts were not sure what type of shark attacked the boy but said the ones found in the waters off Virginia are typically smaller varieties, such as sandbar sharks.

News of the attack spread quickly in Virginia Beach, worrying some and giving dozens of other beachgoers pause before they went into the water. Although the beach was crowded and hundreds splashed in the water, others were cautious.

"We came down here specifically to go swimming in the ocean," said Rick Simpson, 29, of Durham, N.C., who came with a number of friends. "But after hearing about the attack yesterday, I just didn't want to risk it."

Several children said that when they first heard the news of the attack, they had reservations about going in the water. Those who did go in said they ventured only 10 or 15 feet from shore.

This year, of 40 shark attacks worldwide, 28 have been in Florida. Jessie Arbogast, 8, lost his arm in an attack off Florida's Gulf Coast in July. His arm was reattached, but he remains in a coma.