Holidaymaker flies home for emergency surgery after shark attack
She was terrified to see her ring finger was hanging off and blood was pouring from the wound. Sister Lisa Smith, 28, saw a metre-long shark darting away - and she led Rachel to safety while shouting out a warning to other holidaymakers enjoying a morning paddle.
Pharmacologist Rachel was taken to hospital in an ambulance and medics said she needed plastic surgery. But with no surgeon available for two weeks, the pair cut their holiday short and flew to Cork, Ireland, where their parents live.
READ MORE: Mike Tindall calls for help as he issue update on sad family health news
READ MORE: Girl, 5, dies hours after being discharged from hospital with 'tonsillitis'
Doctors confirmed the tendons and nerves in Rachel's ring and little fingers were ruptured, and the ligaments in her ring finger had been disconnected. She had emergency surgery and hopes to regain full movement in 18 months time.
Lisa, a procurement specialist, and Rachel, both from Newham, London, said they have suffered with nightmares since the attack on May 8. Rachel said: "There was so much blood coming out I honestly thought I was going to die.
'I was in complete shock. My whole hand went numb so I thought my whole hand had been taken off. I feel grateful to be alive and so grateful to have my hand. I have a long road of recovery ahead but I have a positive attitude and I believe I will get through it.'
Lisa added: "We were so terrified. I honestly thought her fingers were gone - there was blood everywhere. At one point a vein burst and sprayed blood all over both of us. We were just crying and thinking she was going to die."
The close sisters holiday together each year and had arrived at the Hilton Rose hotel on May 5, intending to stay for two weeks. She was attacked around 10am, and say the shark knocked them both backwards after hitting them with its body.
The sisters say the flag on the beach was raised indicating it was safe to swim and doctors confirmed the bite was likely to belong to a reef shark. The pair were initially taken to a private hospital where they were asked to pay $2,000 to have the wounds stitched and quoted $25,000 for further surgery.
The transferred to a public hospital before heading home for surgery at Cork University Hospital. The sisters had to pay for ambulance and taxi travel to hospitals in Jamaica, and to get a 'fit to fly' certificate to come home - totalling nearly $500.
Rachel said: "I really did think I would die. The private hospital were only concerned with getting the payment before stopping the bleeding."
Lisa said Rachel was bitten inside an area cordoned off as safe to swim inside, near the beach, by a rope. "There were two young kids swimming by the rope, it's lucky it wasn't them," she said. "I'm just so glad and grateful that she's alive."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
a day ago
- Fox News
American tourist attacked by shark in vacation hot spot
An American tourist was seriously injured after being attacked by a shark during a spearfishing trip in the Bahamas over the weekend, according to local reports. The Royal Bahamas Police Force said in a Facebook post that the incident occurred shortly after 1 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 17, near Big Grand Cay, located on the island of Abaco. The 63-year-old victim was initially treated at a nearby clinic before being airlifted to the United States for further medical care. Authorities have not released additional details. While shark attacks in the Bahamas are rare, the country has one of the world's highest rates relative to its population. The International Shark Attack File, a global database tracking shark-related incidents, reports that there have been only 34 confirmed unprovoked attacks in the Bahamas over the past four centuries, ranking it ninth among nations monitored. This latest incident follows several recent attacks on U.S. tourists. Earlier this year, two Americans were hurt in a suspected shark attack while swimming at Bimini Bay, a well-known resort area about 50 miles from Miami. In December 2023, 44-year-old newlywed Lauren Erickson Van Wart of Massachusetts was fatally bitten while paddleboarding near the western end of New Providence Island in the Bahamas. A month later, a 10-year-old boy from Maryland was bitten in the leg during a shark tank experience at a Paradise Island resort. The boy was taken to hospital and survived the attack. The U.S. State Department has also warned travelers of shark-related risks in the region. In March, it issued a Level 2 travel advisory for the Bahamas, urging Americans to "exercise increased caution," particularly due to shark-related risks. "Stay alert for sharks. Shark attacks have led to serious injuries and death," the advisory warned. Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Passengers continue to face travel woes amid Air Canada flight attendants' strike
Thousands of passengers are facing another day of travel disruptions as Air Canada flight attendants continue to strike despite a federal return-to-work order. Lisa Smith and Nicole Power, two sisters from Newfoundland, say they were visiting San Francisco and were initially told two days ago that their Air Canada return flight wouldn't be impacted. Smith says they were then told yesterday the flight was cancelled, and Air Canada rebooked them on a competitor flight but they'll be stuck in Montreal until Wednesday before they can get back to the East Coast. Meanwhile, Luca Pozzoli says he's trying to get to Italy but his flight was cancelled shortly after he arrived at the Montreal airport, and now he's considering driving to Boston and flying from there instead. This morning, the Canada Industrial Relations Board declared the strike by the company's 10,000 flight attendants unlawful and has ordered the union's leadership to direct its members to return to work. However, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents the flight attendants, has ignored the edict and challenged the CIRB order in Federal Court. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 18, 2025. The Canadian Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
News24
4 days ago
- News24
I had 51 endometriosis lesions removed: Bindi Irwin on her life-changing surgery
Bindi Irwin is on the mend. The nature conservationist says she's feeling better, just three months after she had to have emergency surgery for a burst appendix. The operation, which happened in May, is just the latest in a series of health problems she's had over the years. In a detailed post on Instagram, Bindi (27) wrote, '13 years of fighting for answers. 51 endometriosis lesions, a chocolate cyst, and my appendix were all removed across two surgeries with @seckinmd. ''My hernia from giving birth that was unzipping was taken care of. I can FINALLY say that I'm feeling better. Genuinely healing. 'I can function in everyday life without wanting to throw up or pass out from the pain. Slowly, slowly gaining my strength back.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bindi Irwin (@bindisueirwin) READ MORE | How to find out if you're as strong and healthy as you should be for your age The mother of one previously shared how her appendix operation turned out to be a blessing in disguise. While doctors were operating on her for that, they found another 14 lesions from her endometriosis. Bindi, who has been vocal about her battle with the condition, wants the stigma removed around speaking about women's health. It's particularly important for Bindi as she has a daughter Grace (4) and doesn't want her to go through what she did. She is, however, happy her daughter takes after her grandfather, Steve. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Terri Irwin (@terriirwincrikey) READ MORE | Crikey! Aussie conservationist Robert Irwin's become a budgie smuggler! Like the famed conservationist, Grace wants to feed the crocodiles at the Australian Zoo, where she lives. 'Grace, oh my goodness, she is a wild child. I mean, she has my dad's personality. I did not expect that having a little one. I was like, 'Where did this come from?' Oh, my dad,' says Bindi. She says that just like her dad did with her, she's slowly teaching her daughter about animals and how to read their cues and body language. 'That's what my parents did with me. It was a slow progression as I got older,' Bindi says. 'And then it kind of like becomes second nature.' Her parents are never far from her mind, particularly her dad, who died when Bindi was just eight years old. 'Time changes your grief,' she says. 'Time changes things and your perspective and everything. But I know firsthand that the grief and the sadness and the feeling of loss from losing dad – that feeling is just a part of me. It's like a scar on your heart.'
