SPRING HILL, Tenn (WTVF) — A fun day in the ocean ended with a trip to the emergency room for one Middle Tennessee teenager after he was bitten by a shark.
Arik Nekrasov was on vacation in North Carolina with his family when it happened. He says he's just glad he was able to get away.
"Basically, we were just chilling in the waves and whatever and, I felt a strange sensation of like something like, I guess, kind of like, very, almost needles, kind of like sinking in," said Arik. "So, I dragged my leg away and started running, and called out to my family to get out of the water as well."
They were at Wrightsville Beach, and thankfully, they were able to quickly get help.
"We ran to the shore, and my mom put pressure on the wound and we got the lifeguards," Arik said.
His mother says she's thankful the bite wasn't worse.
"He got 15 stitches, but we still has his leg, you know, it bit him on the calf, so we're definitely very thankful it was not worse," said Rachel Nekrasov.
The stitches came out this week and Arik has about a two-week recovery time.
The odds of being bitten by a shark in the U.S are about one in four million, which is why Arik says he can't wait to get back in the water.
"I mean, why not it’s rare so chances of it happening again are pretty low."
The family says the doctor told them he believes Arik was bitten by a three to four-foot-long shark.
