Things that make you go hmmm...

Hi Folk,

The following was forwarded to me from an email newsletter from Capt. John in Florida. I don't have a whole lot more information about it other than what you see here and I was hoping some of you might have some input on this, especially you folks down there in Florida.

Here goes...

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"** What REALLY happened with the shark attack on Pensacola Beach? **

There is a reason that the "hero" of the attack that wrestled that 7 foot shark to shore is not giving any interviews, and is hard to find. There is a reason that this 7 foot shark was in 2 feet of water, and there is a reason
that the family is "acting funny" about taking money from those that want to help....here it is.....hard truth...Sit down....

THE UNCLE THAT WRESTLED THE SHARK ASHORE WAS FISHING FOR SHARKS, HAD IT ON A LINE AND HAD BEEN FIGHTING IT FOR TWO HOURS PLUS.

The unidentified stranger that helped him also helped him fight the fish to shore. When the shark got into two feet of water, the kids all ran into the water in jubilation and the shark lunged from off the ground and hit Jessie Arbogast twice, took his arm off and bit into his leg.

The man had CHUM in the water, and heavy tackle built to fish for sharks. His nephew got bit because the entire family went into the water trying to wrestle the fish to land. There is big money on a shark that size.

THIS IS THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH.

The press has suppressed the real truth, because they are afraid that it will affect the contributions for Jessie and the uncle is so filled with guilt, he has tried to commit suicide once already.... Now it all makes sense.

NO MAN is going to wrestle a shark that large to shore in two feet of water, that is one powerful animal, and they had to cut the cable, and hid the rods by the time the medics got there.

The ranger that shot the shark testified that the shark still had the hook in his mouth and "put up a big fight because his mouth was all bloody and torn up"....(that is why the shark had blood all over it's mouth in the TV photos, it was it's own blood !!)

I am not lessening the horror of the event. Jessie did get an arm bit off and is going to recover, but I am tired of Pensacola Beach taking it in the shorts because of the "whole truth not being told".... The money, in my opinion would still come in, and the uncle will have to accept that it was a tragic accident and a mistake. (Received this by e-mail....think this is the truth or not?)

So what do you think?"
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Information on the where what when why and how of this stories origination is appreciated.

Anyone ever hear the line...

There are 3 sides to every story your side, their side, and the truth?

Interesting thread Ladydiver, one to do some thinking on. Thank you for this post.

...but I heard this about a week ago. I have also heard that this has been proven to be untrue. I have noticed that there are now different pictures of the shark being shown than were originally shown when the event happened. I don't think the collective press would or could supress the whole truth and nothing but the truth in this case. Just plain too many of them involved.

Wow, I'm speachless! If in fact this is true, stick a fork in the uncle. He's done.

You know that makes sense. Does a shark really stick around long enough to be pulled in? I think not, unless something was stoping it from going back out to sea. Why hide the truth?

Brad

This is total unadulterated BS.
The story has been debunked as a cruel hoax both by all official reports and by "Urban Legends" - there was no malfeasance on the part of the heroic uncle or any of the other rescuers.
I recommend you remove the entire thread immediately and be on the lookout for its resurfacing.
I say again, the story is a LIE.
Rick

Before I got to Rick's post - I hopped out to my favorite Urbane Legend website (The story was just too much to be true - no way th epress would ever keep the lid on something like this.)

Here is an excerpt from the site:

http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blshark.htm

Comments: This is rumormongering at its most cynical and hurtful. The author — is anyone surprised he or she chose to remain anonymous? — has twisted a story already dense with real-life pathos and tragedy into a sordid, fictional melodrama. Along with unsubstantiated allegations of family greed and negligence leading up to the tragic event, we are provided with a conspiracy theory to explain why we've never heard these "facts" before. None of it washes.

Eight-year-old Jessie Arbogast was attacked on July 6 by a 7-foot shark while swimming in shallow water at a Pensacola, Florida beach. He was rescued by his uncle, Vance Flosenzier, who not only whisked the boy to safety but managed to drag the shark — which still had Jessie's severed arm in its mouth — onto the beach, where it was killed by a park ranger. Flosenzier is a hero by all accounts. (See sources below for further details of the attack and rescue.)

Though surgeons successfully reattached Jessie's arm, as of this writing he is still listed in serious condition due to severe internal injuries, massive blood loss and possible brain damage.

No eyewitness accounts implicate Flosenzier in the attack. No one has reported he was fishing at the time, let alone shark fishing. According to a National Park Service report summarized in the Pensacola News Journal on July 19, Flosenzier was wading at the water's edge with another family member just before the attack occurred. Photos taken at the scene confirm this.

The Park Service interviewed all available eyewitnesses on the night of the incident. "Some noted," reads a summary, "that people may have been fishing nearby; however, no one reported seeing anyone shark fishing."

Flosenzier has never expressed "guilt" over the incident (nor has he any reason to), nor have there been reports from any source that he has attempted to commit suicide.

In short, nearly everything alleged in this email contradicts the testimony of eyewitnesses, not to mention press coverage locally and internationally. The conspiracy theory claiming there has been a media cover-up is farcical. Too many different news bureaus have reported on this story for contradictory evidence not to have emerged. It's absurd to assume the media would publish lies for fear that the truth would "effect [sic] the contributions for Jessie." As the email itself notes, "The money, in my opinion, would still come in." Who would assume otherwise?

Update 07/26/01: The Pensacola News Journal reported on Thursday, July 26 that the National Park Service is re-interviewing witnesses to the Arbogast incident to verify its initial conclusion that no one was shark fishing at the scene. "An unsigned e-mail, sent to media outlets, posted in chat rooms and distributed through mailing lists, accuses Flosenzier [the victim's uncle] of doing just that," said reporter Brett Norman. A park ranger called the rumor "absolutely ridiculous" and Flosenzier is on record as saying he doesn't even fish. A supplemental Park Service report will be issued soon.

Update 07/27/01: "The rumors are not true," reads the headline of an editorial in the July 27 edition of the Pensacola News Journal. Said rumors began circulating just a few days after the attack occurred, writes Executive Editor Randy Hammer, and newspaper staffers checked them out. "There was no truth to any of it," they concluded. "The park ranger didn't see a hook. The 14-year-old who supposedly saw everything didn't see anything. And he certainly wasn't surfing that day because the Gulf of Mexico was as flat as a pond. The newspaper tracked down tourists in Colorado and Missouri who witnessed the attack, and all of them said the uncle wasn't fishing." National Park Service computer technicians are attempting to identify the source of the rumor-bearing email.


Sources and further reading:

"Jessie's Story Inspires Flood of Gifts, Letters." Pensacola News Journal, 20 July 2001.
"Park Report: Shark Victim's Uncle Waged Heroic Rescue." Pensacola News Journal, 19 July 2001.
"The Rumors Are Not True: Jessie's Uncle Was Not Shark Fishing." Pensacola News Journal, 27 July 2001.
"Shark Expert Makes Visit to Find Answers in Attack." Pensacola News Journal, 14 July 2001.
"Shark Fishing Rumor Reopens Accident Probe." Pensacola News Journal, 26 July 2001.
"Shark Probe Hunts Source of Bad Email." Pensacola News Journal, 27 July 2001.
"Uncle Details Gulf Coast Shark Attack." CNN, 19 July 2001.
"Witnesses Recall Fla. Shark Attack." Associated Press, 12 July 2001

Ok I was mistaken ..

While watching CNN yesterday, (Sunday) I heard there were three more shark attacks in Florida. They showed a man in his 20's with his foot all wrapped up, and he was very shook up. They said he was surfing.
Also I have to agree with Rick on this one. No reason to 'Trash' the thread, but I do not think the new stories are true.
Thank you LadyDiver for posting it. I didn't even hear the new rumor, but remindes me of how cruel the press or whom ever started it, can be.
:sunny:

Hey all,

I have received this lie from no less than a dozen individuals. It's not their fault, and most have been somewhat skeptical. Remember the caveat... you get what you pay for.