A tourist had her vacation come to an abrupt halt. She was attacked by a shark while swimming in the waters of Jamaica. Her run-in with the fish left her nearly missing her ring finger.
26-year-old Rachel Smith was vacationing with her sister in Montego Bay. That's when she encountered the shark. It bit her on the hand, leaving her ring finger barely hanging on. The tourist recoiled in horror after watching "blood pour everywhere." She ended up having to fly back to Ireland for emergency surgery. The doctors on the island said that a surgeon wouldn't be available for weeks.
Tourist Attacked By Shark
"There was so much blood coming out I honestly thought I was going to die," Rachel said via Daily Mail. "I was in complete shock. My whole hand went numb so I thought my whole hand had been taken off."
The shark bite had severed the tendons and nerves in both her ring and pinky fingers. Fortunately, she still has her hand and fingers and also her life as well.
"I have a long road of recovery ahead but I have a positive attitude and I believe I will get through it," she said. But the tourist has a long recovery ahead of her after the shark bite. Still, she hopes to regain the ability to use the digits in the following months.
But the biggest injuries may be psychological. Both Rachel and her sister, Lisa, are traumatized and terrified following the incident. Sounds like they're not going back in the water.
"I honestly thought her fingers were gone - there was blood everywhere," she said. "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 had judged it safe to swim due to the flag on the beach. Once in the water, the shark knocked them over and bit Rachel.
"There were two young kids swimming by the rope, it's lucky it wasn't them," Lisa said. "I'm just so glad and grateful that she's alive."
