The Autopsy Results Are In…

From the Palm Beach Post:

An 8 or 9 foot shark that fatally bit a kiteboard surfer on Wednesday probably was trying to kill and eat the man, a leading shark expert said Friday.

Stephen Schafer, 38, was floating in an unguarded stretch of ocean about 4:15 p.m. when at least one large shark, probably a bull shark or a tiger shark, attacked and mortally wounded him, according to George Burgess and autopsy results.

The Stuart man died of blood loss despite a Martin County lifeguard’s efforts to save him, said Dr. Linda O’Neil, who examined Schafer’s body Thursday night.

O’Neil said Schafer was bitten twice, once on the buttocks and once on the right thigh. She said the bites, which were 9 to 10 inches in diameter, likely came from the same shark.

Schafer had a set of puncture-wound bite marks on each buttock, “like it bit across his bottom; the upper jaw got one side and the lower jaw got the other side,” O’Neil said.

The shark delivered a fatal, tearing bite to the Stuart man’s right thigh, a wound so deep that one tooth struck Schafer’s femur, O’Neil said.

”The femoral artery was intact but all the smaller arteries that lead to the femoral in the region of the right thigh were severed,” O’Neil said, which led Schafer to bleed out while lifeguard Daniel Lund fought wind and waves to drag him to safety.

Schafer probably lost more than half the blood in his body, O’Neil said. A healthy adult body typically circulates about 5.5 liters of blood.

O’Neil said Schafer also had a bite wound to his right hand. He probably got it trying to fend off the shark as it bit his thigh, she said.

The autopsy couldn’t determine how long Schafer had been bleeding before he was dragged in, but O’Neil said it likely was a matter of minutes before the lifeguard brought him to shore.

Burgess also examined Schafer’s body Thursday night and agreed with O’Neil’s findings.

He said the size of the bite marks and the manner of attack indicated the shark likely was a bull shark or a tiger shark, both species known for aggression.

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