Tourist bitten by shark 'thought she'd die' before flight to Ireland for emergency surgery
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A tourist had to flown to Ireland for emergency surgery after a terrifying shark attack.
Rachel Smith, 26, was lounging in waist-deep waters at Rose Hall beach in Montego Bay, Jamaica, when the ocean predator took a bite out of her left hand. Horror struck as she realised her ring finger was barely attached and blood was streaming from her injury.
Her sister Lisa Smith, 28, caught sight of the metre-long shark making an escape and quickly led Rachel to the shore while alerting other swimmers of the danger. London-based pharmacologist Rachel had to rush to the hospital by ambulance where the doctors pointed out she needed urgent reconstructive surgery, reports the Irish Mirror.
But with no plastic surgeon available for a fortnight, the siblings ended their tropical getaway prematurely and flew straight to Cork, where their parents live. Upon examination, it was confirmed that both the tendons and nerves in Rachel's ring and little fingers were severely damaged, and the ligaments in her ring finger had been completely severed. Post-surgery, she remained hopeful of regaining complete function within 18 months.
Procurement expert, Lisa, along with Rachel has since been haunted by nightmares following the incident on May 8. Sharing her ordeal, 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."
(Image: Irish Mirror)
Lisa, still shaken from the incident, 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 inseparable sisters, who make it a tradition to holiday together annually, had checked into the Hilton Rose hotel on May 5, planning a two-week stay. The shark attack occurred around 10am, with the creature slamming into them and knocking them backwards.
Despite the beach flag indicating safe conditions for swimming, the siblings were horrified when doctors later confirmed that the bite marks were consistent with those of a reef shark. After the harrowing encounter, the duo were initially rushed to a private hospital where they faced a demand of $2,000 just for stitches and a staggering $25,000 quote for additional surgery.
They eventually moved to a public hospital before flying back for further treatment at Cork University Hospital. The financial strain continued for the sisters as they had to fork out nearly $500 for ambulance services, taxis, and obtaining a 'fit to fly' certificate to return home from Jamaica.
Rachel said: "I really did think I would die. The private hospital were only concerned with getting the payment before stopping the bleeding."
Lisa revealed that the incident occurred within a designated safe swimming area, marked by a rope near the beach. "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."
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