Sergeant Saves Disabled Fisherman from Sharks Near Dock

Bill Von Herbulis is 72 years old. He does not let living in a wheelchair stop him from fishing or working his crab traps every day at the marina near his Florida home. But on Sept. 27, he became the catch of the day instead. Now Sgt. William Leven will receive a Lifesaving Award for jumping into shark-filled water during feeding time. He hoisted Von Herbulis over sharp oyster shells and barnacle-encrusted dock pylons to safety.

The Volusia County Sheriff's Office posted a video of the rescue on Facebook the next day. They praised their quick-acting sergeant. As for fishing, Von Herbulis said he was back the next day. "He doesn't miss," his wife Lori Von Herbulis laughed.

Von Herbulis set out for the marina in his condominium community in New Smyrna Beach as he does every day. He motored along in his electric wheelchair pulling a wagon stuffed with fishing and crabbing gear. He toted his equipment to a narrow private dock near Ponce de Leon Inlet which sits at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. His wife of 41 years had gone out for the evening. But he usually fishes solo anyway.

At the dock, he pushed the cart with his fishing poles and tackle box ahead of his wheelchair. He went past boat slips to his favorite fishing spot. It wasn't a memorable evening of fishing. As the sun dipped, he packed his gear to go back home. For his safety, the former water treatment plant operator is not supposed to be on the dock after dark. On this night the dock was unusually vacant. Normally other anglers would be casting their lines and people strolling admiring the sunset. But this night he was all alone with lapping waves and rising tide.

At about 7:30 p.m. he was rumbling over planks toward home when his wagon of gear bumped into a dock box and jackknifed. The jostled wheelchair toppled over. Von Herbulis tumbled into the water. His cellphone went with him too. He stayed calm. "I looked up and swam up to the surface of the water," he said. Because it was high tide, he was able to reach up and grasp an electrical conduit pipe jutting between boat slips. At low tide it would have been 4-6 feet out of reach. Lori Von Herbulis told Fox News Digital that it was the closest thing that didn't have barnacles or oysters on it.

"Help!" he called out. But no one came. About every 30 seconds, he cried out hollering for help. He knew his wife would come looking for him when she arrived back home and didn't find him there. "I'm thinking Am I gonna have to wait here all night?" Finally a just-arriving angler heard splashing and saw Von Herbulis clinging to the pipe. But a locked gate on the dock prevented him from getting close.

"We don't think he belonged there, not that we care, because he was our angel," Lori Von Herbulis said. "But he didn't have a key to get in." The man called 911 anonymously to report a possible drowning according to sheriff's office records. At about 9 p.m., Leven and his partner Deputy Boris Rodriguez raced to the private marina at the Minorca condominium community. They found the overturned wheelchair and saw Von Herbulis struggling to keep his head above water according to a sheriff's office incident report.

Bodycam footage shows Leven shedding the belt holding his gun holster before getting into the water with a sheriff's office buoy. He carefully avoided sharp oyster shells below and razor-like edges of barnacles on dock pylons all around. Leven got the buoy to Von Herbulis.

In an unexpected twist, Von Herbulis grabbed a floating bag of his own things before it drifted into the darkness. Bystanders helped deputies pull him from the surf and up the nearby stairs to the dock. The man has not been able to walk or stand since snapping his neck nineteen years ago yet he refused any medical aid once on land. They wheeled him back into his electric chair and sent him home with a grateful heart.

Shark-filled waters surround this tale of survival as global statistics mount toward September 2026. Data from Tracking Sharks shows forty-four shark attack bites worldwide this year alone. Eleven incidents involved provoked sharks while eight resulted in death. Thirteen such bites occurred within the United States though none were fatal so far. Florida holds the title for the highest frequency of unprovoked encounters according to their website. A surfer lost a foot earlier this month near New Smyrna Beach where Von Herbulis was rescued just short distance away.

Experts with the International Shark Attack File stress staying out of water at dawn or dusk to stay safe. Their scientific project operates under the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville. Swimmers should always have a buddy avoid fishing zones and stop splashing too much. These warnings apply strictly yet Von Herbulis inadvertently broke them which raised his personal risk level significantly.

Scientists offer specific advice if a shark approaches your position directly. Maintain eye contact with the animal then move away slowly before exiting the water completely. If it tries to bite you hit its eyes and gills where sensitive areas can be hurt regardless of strength levels. Another tactic involves hitting the snout and pushing back since water resistance weakens any punch significantly.

At his fishing spot Von Herbulis often catches sharks including one about seven feet long he once landed himself. They frequently snatch half his redfish or snook as he reels in his catch with great effort. He has fallen into the deep twice before without serious consequence for that reason alone. His wife refuses to join him because she fears witnessing such terrifying moments firsthand.

But Von Herbulis shrugs off the danger he faced in dark water while hunting avidly alongside other risks. He avoided injury on sharp barnacles and oysters because he made a clean dive into the water as he joked later. There are obviously sharks in that water yet they did not want him according to the grandfather of six who chuckled about it all.