First Responder at N.C. Shark Attack was Vacationing Paramedic

June 17--RANDOLPH COUNTY -- A 12-year-old girl from Archdale attacked and severely injured by a shark off the coast of Oak Island probably has emergency workers who happened to be on vacation there to thank for her life.

Paramedic Marie Hildreth of Charlotte was enjoying an outing at the beach when she heard screams to help a girl attacked by a shark in the surf, according to the Wilmington Star-News. The girl is Kiersten Yow, who just completed sixth grade at Braxton Craven Middle School in northern Randolph County.

The girl lost part of her left arm and suffered shark bites to a leg. Hildreth used a boogie board string to fashion a tourniquet for the girl's arm, according to the Star-News. Local emergency crews also responded quickly to the beach to save the girl's life.

Yow initially was listed in good condition. But on Tuesday, a spokesman for New Hanover Regional Medical Center told The High Point Enterprise that no information could be released updating the girl's condition. The girl's family has exercised its right to keep medical records confidential under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, commonly known as HIPPA.

On Tuesday evening, however, Yow's parents, Brian and Laurie Yow, released the following statement:

"Our daughter, Kiersten Yow, was the female victim of Sunday's shark attacks on Oak Island. As the media is reporting, she lost a portion of her left arm (below the elbow) and suffered injuries to her left leg.

"Kiersten was taken to New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington immediately after the incident and was transferred to N.C. Children's Hospital at UNC yesterday, where she remains in stable condition and is receiving excellent care. She has a long road to recovery that will include surgeries and rehabilitation, but her doctors at UNC expect she will keep her leg, and for that we are grateful.

"We want to thank the good Samaritans and emergency responders whose clear heads and quick actions saved Kiersten's life. We also thank her extraordinary doctors and nurses in Wilmington and Chapel Hill.

"This has been an extraordinarily traumatic event for our entire family. We need time and space to come to terms with what has happened and to help Kiersten recover.

"We appreciate the public's well wishes and prayers, but we ask that the media please respect our privacy as we navigate this difficult situation -- privately, as a family."

Yow and a 16-year-old boy from Colorado were about 20 yards off-shore in waist-deep water when they were attacked. On Tuesday, Oak Island town officials advised visitors to avoid swimming in the ocean.