British Tourist Bitten by Shark During Jamaica Paddle, Flies Home for Surgery

A British woman was forced to cut her Caribbean holiday short and return home for emergency surgery after a terrifying shark attack left her with severe hand injuries. Rachel Smith, 26, from Newham, London, was enjoying a morning paddle in waist-deep water at Rose Hall Beach in Montego Bay, Jamaica, on May 8 when a shark suddenly bit her left hand. The unexpected attack occurred in an area marked as safe for swimming.

Rachel was vacationing with her older sister, Lisa Smith, 28, when the attack took place. The pair were left shaken and traumatized, now struggling with nightmares in the aftermath of the incident. “There was so much blood coming out I honestly thought I was going to die,” Rachel told reporters. “I was in complete shock. My whole hand went numb so I thought my whole hand had been taken off.”

The shark, estimated to be around one metre long and likely a reef shark, fled the area immediately after the bite, according to Lisa, who saw it swimming away. “We were so terrified. I honestly thought her fingers were gone—there was blood everywhere,” Lisa 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.”

Rachel was taken by ambulance to a local hospital where doctors confirmed the injuries were consistent with a shark bite and would require plastic surgery. However, the sisters were met with steep medical costs at a private facility, being asked to pay $2,000 just to have the wounds stitched, and quoted $25,000 for further surgery.

“The private hospitals were only concerned with getting the payment before stopping the bleeding,” Rachel said. Faced with the lack of available surgeons—reportedly none were accessible for two weeks—they decided to end their two-week trip early and fly to Cork, Ireland, where their parents live.

There, Rachel underwent emergency surgery. Doctors confirmed she had ruptured tendons and nerves in her ring and little fingers, and the ligaments in her ring finger were detached. Surgeons told her recovery could take up to 18 months.

Despite the trauma, Rachel remains optimistic. “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, “There were two young kids swimming near the rope. It’s lucky it wasn’t them. I’m just so glad and grateful that she’s alive.”

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(Image: SWNS)