A 14-year-old girl has been treated by paramedics at Pambula Beach after she was stung by a stingray at about 2pm, Monday January 9.
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Don Hay from Pambula Surf Life Saving Club said the club was initially asked to assist in transporting the stingray barb patient at Pambula River Mouth. However the inflatable crew was stood down once in the water when a private vehicle driven by a club member was able to gain access to the beach area at the request of police to transport the patient to the waiting ambulance.
Paramedics said that the girl who is holidaying in the area, still had the barb in her foot but was not in a serious condition.
The incident with the young girl is the second such incident in a matter of hours.
A man in his 40s was taken to South East Regional Hospital around lunchtime after he was stung at Merimbula’s Main Beach by a stingray. There were concerns for the man who was understood to be on blood thinning medication.
At 4pm on Monday, both stingray victims were still in the emergency department of the South East Regional Hospital being treated.
Most stingray injuries typically occur when a person accidentally steps on a ray as it lies on the shallow, sandy bottom of a beach area. Rays often cover themselves with sand for camouflage while resting or hiding from predators, so they can be hard to see. When stepped upon or harassed, they swing or arch their tail in the direction of the intruder to protect themselves. This drives their spine into the unwanted intruder.
People who step on a stingray most frequently are injured on their feet and lower legs.
