AMERICANALMANAC (Jack Newsome) - Lake Tahoe swim instructor needed 38 stitches after river otter dragged her underwater
A veteran swimming instructor who has swum Lake Tahoe for 25 years was mauled by what authorities believe was a river otter, leaving her with 38 stitches and shaking her sense of safety in the water she calls her sanctuary. Lynnette Bellin was on her regular Sunday swim in Lake Tahoe when something seized her […] The post Lake Tahoe swim instructor needed 38 stitches after river otter dragged her underwater appeared first on American Almanac .
A veteran swimming instructor who has swum Lake Tahoe for 25 years was mauled by what authorities believe was a river otter, leaving her with 38 stitches and shaking her sense of safety in the water she calls her sanctuary. Lynnette Bellin was on her regular Sunday swim in Lake Tahoe when something seized her leg and pulled her beneath the surface. She thought at first it was a person, the force was that strong. Then she felt teeth and claws, and a five-minute fight for her life began. Bellin, a certified Infant Swimming Resource instructor who teaches children self-rescue techniques, was swimming close to shore to avoid boat traffic when the animal struck. She had been heading back to teach a lesson. Instead, she spent the next several…Open