A young woman is in critical condition after falling from a boat during an excursion on a Bahamas cruise.
Hannah Smith, 22, from Memphis, was on a Carnival cruise with a friend celebrating her recent college graduation.
Young Woman Suffered Extensive Injuries After Fall
After falling into the water, it is thought she came into contact with the tour boat’s propeller and suffered “extensive injuries.”
Childhood friend, Brooklyn Pitre, who helped pull her back onto the boat, noted there was “a lot of blood in the water.”
“She disappeared for about three seconds. Hannah came back up from the water and reached out her hand and we pulled her out,” said Pitre.
She was rushed to a Nassau, Bahamas hospital, where she underwent two surgeries.
After her mother and sister arrived in the Bahamas, she was airlifted to a trauma center in the US with more surgeries planned.
“They’re working to continue to save her life and repair some of the damage,” mother Tracy said.
“It’s going to be a very lengthy recovery and it’s definitely going to entail a lot of physical therapy. And it’s going to be long term.”
The accident happened on the first full day of the cruise vacation, Pitre said.
The family has set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for her recovery, which they said is expected to be lengthy. It has raised more than $32,000 so far.
“On what was supposed to be a beautiful trip to the Bahamas Hannah was involved in a tragic accident that nearly claimed her life.
She’s still with us, but the road ahead is long, filled with surgeries, recovery, and overwhelming medical costs. This boating accident will not define your life,” it said.
