A bull shark bolted from the deep toward the surface and slammed into a triathlete’s legs during an early morning workout. 

“It hit me about thigh-high. Came up from the bottom. I didn’t even see it,” Chuck Anderson told Fox News Digital about the 2000 attack. “It knocked me up out of the water a bit, and I started treading water. I hollered for Karen (his training partner) to go to the beach.”

Anderson said he put his face underwater to see what hit him. “When I did, I saw the shark coming from the bottom at me again.”

“I threw my hands towards him, and he snapped and took all four fingers off my right hand,” Anderson said. ” I held my right hand up in the air, tried to back paddle towards the beach with my left hand … I saw all the blood around me, and I thought, ‘Oh goodness. This is not gonna be good.”

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As Anderson attempted his escape, he kept searching underwater for the shark. 

At this point, he said he was swimming in about 12-to-15-foot deep waters and was about 150 yards from the beach in the Gulf Shores off Alabama.

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The bull shark attacked again, Anderson said. This time it rammed him in the stomach. 

That was round three of a four-round bout. The shark circled Anderson and was poised for the kill shot. 

A bull shark comes close to inspect tourist and their cameras during an eco tourism shark dive off of Jupiter, Florida on May 5, 2022. (Joseph Prezioso/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Chuck Anderson remembers laughing after the attack. When asked how he’s laughing, Anderson said, “I said I got attacked four separate times by shark, and I’m standing here on the beach talking to you.” (Chuck Anderson)

“This time, I actually saw the fin coming directly towards me in the water, and I started trying to make a plan,” said Anderson, who prepared to battle the shark if it got too close. 

But his plan backfired. 

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“I thought I pushed him off, but my arm went into the shark’s mouth, and he took me to the bottom,” Anderson said, “He swung me around. My shoulder and hip were all chafed and scarred. 

“When I was on the bottom, that’s when the good Lord and I had a conversation, and I asked him to get me back up to the surface, at least give me a chance to see my kids one more time.”

Chuck Anderson prayed when he was underwater in the shark’s mouth to see his kids one more time. Now he’s alive and surrounded by his family. (Chuck Anderson)

Female bull shark, Carcharhinus leucas, portrait near Playa Del Carmen, Mexico at the Caribbean Sea. (Luis Javier Sandoval/VW Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Call it luck. Call it divine intervention, but the shark pulled him to the surface. 

“I have no explanation for it, but the shark went to the surface with my right hand in his mouth,” Anderson said.

“My left hand was on his nose, and he pushed me directly towards the beach. I was going so fast. People on the beach saw it and said it looked like I was on skis.”

BEACH SAFETY: TIPS THAT SAVE YOUR LIFE

Anderson said he ended up on the sandbar, about 10 yards off the beach, and “wiggled” away from the shark. 

He survived the four-round bout with a tenacious bull shark, a species known for its stout, powerful bodies and aggressive and territorial nature. 

“She said, ‘Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, you don’t have an arm’ … and asked why I was laughing … I got attacked four separate times by a shark, and I’m standing here on the beach talking to you.”

— Chuck Anderson

Chuck Anderson continued to compete after his near-death confrontation with bull shark.  (Chuck Anderson)

Anderson remembers being harmless and laughing when he was finally reunited with Karen. 

“She said, ‘Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, you don’t have an arm.’ And she looked at me and asked why I was laughing,” he said. “I said I got attacked four separate times by a shark, and I’m standing here on the beach talking to you. 

“I can’t believe I’m alive … I should be dead.” 

WATCH: VIDEO SHOWS HOW AGGRESSIVE A THRASHING BULL SHARK IS

Anderson was rushed to a nearby hospital. He said he lost about two thirds of the blood in his body. Doctors were able to save his elbow. 

He spent 13 days in intensive care, where he underwent several surgeries. 

BEACH SAFETY: TIPS THAT SAVE YOUR LIFE

Chuck Anderson was a triathlete in Alabama and training when he was attacked by a bull shark four times.   (Chuck Anderson)

Bull sharks are aggressive and territorial.  (Getty)

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With all the injuries and blood loss, Anderson said the “most dangerous” part of the attack was how long he spent underwater. He aspirated saltwater, which is common among scuba divers who inhale seawater mist that attacks the lungs. 

Chuck Anderson, a high school coach, nearly died during a shark attack, but it hasn’t stopped him from loving life and joking with everyone. (Chuck Anderson)

“When I got to the hospital, my fever went to 106, so they put me in an induced coma and kept me there for five days,” Anderson said. “They had to get that infection down. Once they brought me out of the coma, the recovery process could start.” 

AERIAL AND UNDERWATER VIDEO OF TAGGED SHARKS

“I’m lucky”

Hearing Anderson say he’s “lucky” and thankful seems perplexing, given how this attack unfolded.

But he said if the shark bit his stomach instead of ramming him, he would have been lights out; if the shark dragged him farther away from shore instead of toward the beach, he wouldn’t have made it back to shore.

WHAT’S THE SHARK ATTACK CAPITAL OF THE WORLD?

“There were just so many positive things that happened that day that allowed me to survive that I’ve never really felt sorry for myself because I knew how lucky I was,” Anderson said. 

“I’ve never held any animosity towards the shark. It’s their territory, and you know, I just appreciate the fact that I’m still alive.”

He still loves the beach. He still loves the ocean. “And I want people to continue to enjoy it,” he said. 

Chuck Anderson lost his right arm after a bull shark attacked him four times at once.  (Chuck Anderson)

Shark attacks are so few and far between that “it shouldn’t keep people out of the ocean.”

“I respect sharks. I’m not happy I lost my right arm to one, and if I run into that guy again, I’ll probably have some choice words for him,” Anderson joked.

“But you know, they’re part of the ecosystem, and if we affect that ecosystem, the oceans that we love will be affected, and I don’t want that to happen. I want people to respect the territory of the sharks.”

A Florida woman was arrested after police said she left her toddler grandchild alone in a hot car while she went grocery shopping in Publix.

Elena Grady, 63, was booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail for neglect of a child causing bodily harm after her 2-year-old grandchild was found unattended inside a hot car in the Publix parking lot on Tuesday.

Grady was released just after midnight on Wednesday after posting her $3,000 bond, jail records show.

CHILD HOT CAR DEATH PUSHES PARENTS WHO LOST DAUGHTER TO SOUND ALARM ABOUT ‘PREVENTABLE TRAGEDY’

Volusia County sheriff’s deputies responded to the Publix on Roscommon Drive at Ormond Beach at around 3 p.m. Tuesday after managers at the store noticed a child alone inside the parked car, the department said on Facebook.

The child “appeared lethargic” inside the car, which was “parked in full sun, no shade, not running, with the windows cracked,” the post said.

Grady’s 2-year-old grandchild was allegedly left alone inside a hot car in the Publix parking lot for 16 minutes when temperatures were above 90 degrees, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office. (iStock)

A manager at Publix was able to reach into the car to unlock it and brought the toddler into the store to cool down. Grady then approached them inside the store and “took custody of the child.”

“[Grady] left Publix but was later located by deputies who also checked on the child and found her to be in good health,” the sheriff’s office said.

INDIANA COUPLE LEFT KIDS IN 125-DEGREE HEAT FOR OVER 40 MINUTES WHILE SHOPPING AT WALMART: POLICE

When the toddler was left in the car, it was 91 degrees outside with a heat index of 101 degrees, according to the sheriff’s office. It was also determined that the toddler had been alone in the car for about 16 minutes.

The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office posted a reminder on Facebook about how quickly temperatures can rise inside a car that’s turned off, sharing that on a 90-degree day, cars can reach 120 degrees within 30 minutes and 138 degrees after 90 minutes.

Volusia County sheriff’s deputies responded to the Publix in Ormond Beach after reports of a child alone in a hot car at around 3 p.m. on Tuesday. (Volusia Sheriff’s Office/Facebook)

“Let’s avoid tragedy and remember NOT to leave children, pets, or vulnerable adults in a hot vehicle even if it’s only supposed to be a few minutes,” the Volusia Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook.

Lawmakers in Georgia are taking aim at homeowners associations after hearing horror stories from residents who have been fined, sued and threatened with foreclosure.

“It’s not just here in Georgia. It’s all over, and it’s a national problem right now,” state Sen. Donzella James told Fox News Digital. “It’s just Georgia is one that people are furious over some of the things that’s happening.”

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More than 20% of the Peach State’s population lives in neighborhoods governed by community associations, according to 2021 data from the Foundation for Community Association Research. The foundation estimated HOAs collect almost $3.2 billion each year from Georgia residents.

Dues payments can cover shared facilities like gyms and pools, as well as maintenance, and HOAs can fine homeowners if they violate association covenants or fall behind on their dues.

James noted that HOAs began as a way to improve “quality of life” in communities. But homeowners across the state have complained that their associations unfairly hit them with fines, cut off their water after they fell behind on dues and even foreclosed on their homes.

“There are some predatory HOA fees and they have nothing to control them,” James, a Democrat representing Atlanta, said. “And so our biggest problems with that is that people are being … abused and losing their homes over petty things.”

WATCH MORE FOX NEWS DIGITAL ORIGINALS HERE

One woman told lawmakers she faced a $25,000 lien after installing a rock garden in her yard, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported late last year. A realtor said a client was threatened with $84,000 in arbitrary fines, which dropped to just $600 after they got a lawyer.

“Most people don’t have that extra $5,000 for an attorney,” the realtor testified. 

This spring, the state legislature overwhelmingly passed House Bill 220 requiring community associations to notify a home or condo owner in writing of any covenant violations and give them time to fix them before pursuing legal action. That law takes effect July 1.

The Senate also passed a resolution creating a study committee to look into HOA rules and potentially pass more legislation protecting property owners. James, a Democrat, pushed the bill for two years before it finally passed, now with bipartisan support.

“We want to make sure that we just stop the nonsense, take care of the people and not put people out of their dream homes,” James said.

But other bills that would have created an ombudsman’s office to investigate HOA and homeowner disputes, as well as strip HOAs of their ability to foreclose on homes once a member owes $2,000 or more, failed to pass this year.

Tricia Quigley lost her home of nearly two decades after a prolonged battle over dues payments. Attorney fees and interest spiraled out of control, so even after she paid the original debt, she was thousands of dollars in the hole.

Her HOA foreclosed on her house and bought it for $3.24 at auction, according to an 11Alive investigation.

“I don’t even know when I’m going to be able to retire now,” Quigley told Fox News Digital. “I can’t buy another house. It just has totally changed my life.”

Georgia law allows HOAs to put a lien on a member’s home and file for foreclosure as soon as they owe $2,000. House lawmakers plan to refile a bill next year that would take foreclosure off the table. (iStock)

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Julie Howard, an Atlanta-based attorney who represents homeowner and condominium associations, said there are already “due process” requirements before HOAs can foreclose on a home.

“The governing documents are there for the benefit of everyone in the community and the owners elect the members of the board of directors that enforce … the documents that everyone agrees to abide by when they buy in the community,” Howard said.

And when people don’t abide by those rules, their HOA is entitled to levy late fees, fines and even foreclose on members’ homes under the Georgia Property Owners’ Association Act — drafted in part by one of the main Atlanta law firms that represents HOAs.

Howard said residents are usually allowed to request a hearing before their HOA board to challenge fines and that owners should be notified every step of the way.

“It’s just not possible for someone to have been foreclosed upon out of the blue under Georgia law,” she said.

James’ colleagues in the state House have already announced plans to refile their version of the bill that would bar HOAs from foreclosing on homes because of unpaid fees.

“My commitment has always been to ensure that property owners have their rights safeguarded and that we foster a fair and transparent system,” Rep. Viola Davis said in a May news release. “The end results must protect the American Dream of Homeownership.”

Davis and her two co-sponsors, all Democrats, hope to get the bill to a vote when the legislature returns to session in January.