David Ubiles helped to rescue Luz H. Florez from an attacking shark, Sanibel, Florida, October 4, 1986. Luz, 7, was wading in the Gulf of Mexico with her mother and Ubiles, 27, administrative assistant, when a shark bit her leg and pulled her under water. Ubiles grabbed Luz’s hands and was pulled off his feet. He then attempted to pull Luz out of the water, but the shark maintained its bite on her leg and shook her. Ubiles and Luz’s mother then placed their hands in the shark’s mouth to attempt to pry it open. Another man joined them in their attempt to fight off the shark. Shortly, the shark released its grip on Luz, and Ubiles pulled her free. Carrying Luz, he ran with her mother to shore. Luz was hospitalized for severe injuries to her leg. Ubiles required sutures for a cut thumb, in which a tendon was severed.
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