Hero who saved shark attack victim spotted 'leg trailing behind her' in water

30 January 2024 , 13:48

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Lauren O’Neill was swimming in Elizabeth Bay in Sydney Harbour at the time of the attack

A vet has been branded a hero after she spotted a shark attack victim trying to get out of the water with her "leg trailing behind her" in Australia – and jumped into action to save her life.

Lauren O’Neill, 29, was swimming when she was ferociously attacked by a suspected bull shark at Elizabeth Bay, Sydney Harbour, on Monday morning. She endured horrific bite injuries which resulted in "major blood loss." Vet Fiona Crago, who lives in an apartment overlooking the area, had coincidentally just purchased a set of bandages when she heard people shouting "shark attack". Lauren managed to get out of the water, where Fiona then used the bandages to perform a tourniquet.

The vet's wife told Channel 10: "She was severely mauled on her right leg and she was losing a lot of blood. People were throwing down towels and blankets to keep her warm but I just focused on what I had to do, which was to stem the blood flow and bandage the leg as best I can with what I had and just stabilise it. And then put a tourniquet on."

Local Michael Porter also rushed over to the scene to help and described Fiona being there as a "fluke." He told News Au: "The fact she had the bandages, it’s just such a fluke. So lucky. I’m not sure she would have survived without Fiona. There was just so much blood loss. There was so much blood in the water that fish were all going off and jumping around in the area. [Fiona] was just incredible.”

Fiona Crago rushed to the scene to help the injured swimmer (Bundanoon Veterinary Hospital)

Witnesses spotted Lauren trying to climb out of the water

He explained that he had just arrived home from work when he heard Lauren calling for help. “The water was just red. She had just managed to prop herself up on the pool and her leg was just limping, sort of trailing behind her,” he said. Lauren is said to be in stable condition at St Vincent's Hospital. A spokesperson for NSW Ambulance Service previously said: "She had serious bleeding. Her injuries are severe. We have a helicopter there and multiple units treating her at the scene”. It has since been reported that Lauren might lose her right leg.

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Experts have suggested it was "highly likely" that it was a bull shark that attacked the swimmer. Marine biologist Lawrence Chlebeck commented: “Bull sharks know they can come into Sydney Harbour and score an opportunistic feed. If they can’t see or the water is cloudy, these animals will bite just to determine what something is and whether it’s prey. Unfortunately, Sydney Harbour after dusk is simply not a safe place to swim.”

Monica Charsley