A British woman said she feared she would lose her hand after a reef shark attacked her while she was on vacation in Jamaica on May 8
Rachel Smith said her ring finger was hanging off her hand after she was bitten off Rose Hall Beach in Montego Bay
The pharmacologist was flown to Ireland for emergency surgery after learning a surgeon wouldn’t be available in Jamaica for two weeks
A 26-year-old woman is recovering after she was bitten by a shark while vacationing in Jamaica.
Rachel Smith of Britain was paddling in hip-height water off Rose Hall Beach in Montego Bay around 10 a.m. local time on May 8 when the shark bit her left hand, according to SWNS.
The pharmacologist and her sister, 28-year-old Lisa Smith, were knocked backward by the fish, which doctors believe to be a reef shark.
Rachel then noticed that her ring finger was hanging off her bleeding hand. She said she feared death as she watched the blood pour from her body.
“I was in complete shock,” Rachel said. “My whole hand went numb so I thought my whole hand had been taken off.”
Lisa helped lead Rachel back to shore while warning other vacationers about the attack, SWNS reported.
The victim was then taken to a local hospital, but was told that no surgeon would be available for two weeks. She claimed the hospital sought $2,000 before workers would address her wound, and informed her that surgery would cost $25,000.
The London woman was transferred to a public hospital before being flown to Ireland, where her parents live, for medical treatment at Cork University Hospital.
There, doctors said the tendons and nerves in her ring and little fingers were ruptured in the attack. The ligaments in her ring finger were disconnected, as well.
Rachel had an emergency surgery on her injured hand, which she is “grateful” to still have. She is also “grateful to be alive” and expects to regain full movement in her hand in about 18 months.
“I have a long road of recovery ahead but I have a positive attitude and I believe I will get through it,” she said.
Lisa said both she and Rachel have had nightmares since the May 8 attack, which took place in an area that they said was labeled as safe to swim.
“I’m just so glad and grateful that she’s alive,” Lisa said.
