23-Year-Old Saga's Unusual Encounter: Bitten by a Pike

A refreshing summer swim turned into a bloody ordeal when a pike took a hefty bite out of 23-year-old Alva's foot.

On a warm summer day in Långsel, Arvidsjaur municipality, 23-year-old Saga Sundqvist and her partner Arvid decided to take a cooling dip at his summer cottage.

– Then I felt something engulf my foot, she says.

Saga immediately realized what had happened – she had been bitten by a pike. She screamed to her partner, who initially didn't believe her, thinking she might have stepped on a stone or some glass.

– He pulled me onto the air mattress and threw me onto the dock. And then we saw that my foot was bleeding heavily, says Saga.

They called for Arvid's parents, who came with torn sheets to wrap around the bleeding foot. During the short walk from the dock to the cottage, she bled through everything.

– There was a pool of blood in my slipper, I was bleeding a lot.

"Bled Like a Pig"

The family rushed to Sunderby Hospital in Luleå, where she received eleven stitches.

– I said this is going to sound crazy, but I've been bitten by a pike and bled like a pig.

Both she and the doctor laughed at the incident, which is quite unusual. Saga says she has never heard of anyone experiencing anything similar.

– You don't expect to be bitten by a pike. Arvid's father has lived in Långsel since childhood, and he's never experienced anything like it, she says.

Saga, who works in the intensive care unit at the hospital, says she immediately went to show her colleagues.

– I was supposed to work the next day, so I thought I better go and explain what happened because if I call and say I can't come because I've been bitten by a pike, no one will believe me.

Saga is doing well today – except for having some difficulty walking. And in Långsel, she won't be swimming again.

– I'll probably stick to fishing there.