Latest news with #HiltonRose
Telegraph
26-05-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
British holidaymaker injured in shark attack during morning paddle
The sisters holiday together each year and had arrived at the Hilton Rose hotel on May 5, intending to stay for two weeks. Ms Smith, who is a pharmacologist, was taken to hospital in an ambulance and medics said she needed plastic surgery. But with no surgeon available for two weeks, the sisters cut their holiday short and flew to Cork, Ireland, where their parents live. 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. 'I thought I was going to die' She had emergency surgery and hopes to regain full movement in 18 months time. Rachel, from Newham, London 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.' 'There was blood everywhere' Lisa, a procurement specialist, added that they have suffered with nightmares since the attack. She said: '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 sisters say a 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. 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 added. 'I'm just so glad and grateful that she's alive.'
Dublin Live
26-05-2025
- Health
- Dublin Live
Tourist bitten by shark 'thought she'd die' before flight to Ireland for emergency surgery
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info 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." Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.
Scottish Sun
25-05-2025
- Health
- Scottish Sun
Brit mauled in water by SHARK watched ‘blood pour everywhere' & thought she was going to die in horror holiday attack
They've suffered from nightmares ever since SHARK TERROR Brit mauled in water by SHARK watched 'blood pour everywhere' & thought she was going to die in horror holiday attack A HOLIDAYMAKER was forced to fly home for emergency surgery after she was bitten by a shark. Rachel Smith, 26, was paddling in hip-height water off Rose Hall beach, in Montego Bay, Jamaica, when the sea creature snapped at her left hand. 8 Rachel Smith, 26, was paddling when the horror attack unfolded Credit: SWNS 8 Rachel Smith's shark bite on her left hand Credit: SWNS 8 Rachel Smith and Lisa Smith during their holiday Credit: SWNS 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 News JAWS PANIC Huge shark lurks off coast at Brit hotspot Marbella for first time in 35 years 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.' 8 She had emergency surgery and hopes to regain full movement in 18 months time Credit: SWNS 8 Rachel Smith and Lisa Smith on holiday before the nightmare attack Credit: SWNS 8 The beach where Rachel Smith's shark bite happened Credit: SWNS 8 Rachel Smith's shark bite hand after being treated Credit: SWNS
