Tourist's three panicked words as woman has legs severed by boat propeller
Hannah Smith, 22, was left with serious injures and rushed to a nearby hospital after her legs were sliced by a boat propeller during her graduation celebration getaway
Tourists yelled three panicked words as a woman's legs were severed by a boat propeller after she fell into the water.
Gifted university graduate Hannah Smith, 22, had been celebrating her recent graduation from Alabama's Miles College when she was sucked into a boat propeller that cut both of her legs off. Her family has claimed Hannah fell from the side of a pontoon boat as it was docking when she was dragged below the water by the propeller. Hannah, from Memphis , Tennessee, booked a luxury Caribbean cruise via the Carnival Sunrise ship and had been on their way back from an excursion to Pearl Island - a tropical island getaway - in the Bahamas when she reportedly fell into the water at Nassau Cruise Port at 3:55pm on the day of the incident.
Panicked passengers cried "she's jumped off" when Hannah ended up in the water. The ferry captain then turned the engine off and saw Hannah in the water surrounded by a pool of blood.
A shocked witness told police two female passengers grabbed Hannah by the arm and pulled her back onto the boat. She was then taken to a hospital with "serious" injuries to her legs and lower body and that they had been partially severed.
Hannah was then flown to back to the US on Wednesday where she has undergone further surgeries. There had been claims that alcohol was somehow involved in the incident, but Hannah's mum Tracy Smith furiously hit back at the claims, adding: "Hannah was not intoxicated. She fell from the boat. It's hurtful to say she jumped because she did not."
Tracy also quizzed why police did not interview Hannah's friend Brooklyn Pitre, who had witnessed the incident. She added: "These kids work their a**** off to graduate. It was a celebratory trip.
"Do they have fun? Yes. Were they drunk? No. Did she jump? No. Are we completely aware of what happened? No."
She continued: "But could there have been a safety mechanism that was off, was the boat rocking, we are not 100 per cent sure of that. There are so many things that could have been happening. I want to know the truth. This was a young woman, happy, celebrating her life and now she's fighting for it."
Hannah's dad, Marvin, said he had spoken to a doctor who treated Hannah at Doctor's Hospital in Nassau. He added everything "suggested she was coherent" and "not inebriated" when she arrived.
In a GoFundMe appeal set up by the family, Hannah's sister Rachel revealed a tragic update. She added: "Hannah suffered a few setbacks. She had to undergo additional transfusions of blood, platelets, and dialysis.
"Before she was taken into her scheduled surgery, she momentarily came out of her sedation. She was able to acknowledge our presence and encouraging words with head nods and squeezing our hands. She has underwent her fifth surgery. Please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers."
Following the incident, well wishes and prayers were shared on social media. "Sending our deepest prayers and support to recent graduate Hannah Smith, Summa Cum Laude Class of 2025, who is currently in critical condition in Nassau, Bahamas," Miles College said in a May 13 Facebook post. "
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