Teenage girl attacked by stingray off Tybee Island, taken to shore by medevac

The U.S. Coast Guard says a teenage girl was attacked by a stingray off Tybee Island Sunday.

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The attack happened in the Wassaw Sound of the Georgia Coast. Members of the USCG Southeast rescued the 19-year-old woman, who was transferred to waiting emergency crews at a marina via medevac.

It’s unclear how significant her injuries were or whether she was taken to the hospital. The victim’s identity has not been released.

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Encounters with stingrays can prove deadly. The animal has a long, venomous barb.

Australian conservationist and television personality Steve Irwin died in 2006 after a stingray’s barb pierced his chest. He was filming a documentary at the time.

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Experts recommend that to avoid a stingray, you shuffle your feet along the sea floor instead of stepping. Shuffling lets the stingray know you are coming and gives them time to swim away, according to WJCL.

Stingrays are common fish along the Georgia coast.