A British woman has described the terrifying moment she was bitten by a shark while swimming in shallow waters off a Jamaican beach, leaving her ring finger severely injured.
Rachel Smith, 26, was attacked on May 8 at Rose Hall beach in Montego Bay, where she was on holiday with her sister Lisa, 28.
The shark, estimated to be about a metre long, bit Rachel’s ring finger so badly that it was nearly severed, with blood pouring from the wound.
Lisa, who witnessed the attack, said she saw the shark swim away immediately after the bite and rushed to help her sister out of the water.
The sisters stayed at the Hilton Rose Hall hotel and had only been on the trip for three days when the incident occurred.
Rachel said the shock of the injury made her fear for her life as she felt her whole hand go numb.
“There was so much blood coming out I honestly thought I was going to die,” she said.
Rachel added, “I was in complete shock. My whole hand went numb, so I thought my entire 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.”
Medical assessments revealed ruptured tendons and nerves in her ring and little fingers, and detached ligaments in the ring finger.
The injury has caused Rachel to suffer nightmares about the attack, and she faces around 18 months of rehabilitation to regain full use of her hand.
Lisa said the attack happened within an area that was cordoned off by a rope, suggesting it was considered safe to swim.
She described how the shark’s powerful body slammed into Rachel, knocking both sisters backwards.
Two young children were swimming nearby at the time, and Lisa said it was fortunate they were unharmed.
“Witnessing her sister being attacked was terrifying,” Lisa said.
“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.”
Rachel was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance, where doctors confirmed she needed urgent plastic surgery.
However, she was told no surgeon was available for two weeks.
Faced with delays, the sisters decided to cut short their holiday and fly to Cork, Ireland, where their parents live.
Rachel criticised the first private hospital she was taken to, saying they seemed more interested in payment than treatment.
She said, “The hospital was only concerned with getting the payment before stopping the bleeding.”
The initial stitching of her wounds cost £2,000, with further surgery quoted at £25,000.
Due to the high costs and delays, Rachel and Lisa sought a ‘fit to fly’ certificate to travel to Ireland for further treatment.
