SUGAR LAND, Texas – A 13-year-old girl from Sugar Land is recovering after she was severely bitten by a barracuda while vacationing with her family in Turks and Caicos last week.
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Sugar Land teen severely bitten by barracuda in Turks and Caicos
What we know:
Claire Macdonel is now back in the Houston area, where she’s preparing to undergo surgery on her hand.
Claire and her mother spoke exclusively with FOX 26 about the rare attack, saying what started as a normal day at the beach quickly turned into a trip to the emergency room.
“I was wearing a shiny bracelet on one wrist and a resort band on the other. At that moment, I went down for a handstand and I just felt a lot of pressure, like if your hand got stuck inside something’s mouth. I just felt a big bite and then when I moved my hand, it just went away. I looked behind me and saw a big silver tail,” said Claire Macdonel. “I was very scared. I was just anxious, like I was crying the whole time.”
“Initially, I thought she was going to bleed out. I’ve never seen that much blood and I couldn’t get it to stop even with the tourniquet when we were in the ambulance. It was still just bleeding and then, of course, my second thought was she was going to lose her hand. Then, once we were in the hospital, the orthopedic surgeon said his number one concern was to stabilize her and reduce the risk of infection,” said Claire’s mother, Jen Macdonel.
Claire says she’s sharing her story to raise awareness, hoping it helps another family avoid a similar experience.
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“Claire wanted to tell her story because she wanted to help and make sure everyone is aware these things can happen. It’s rare to not be afraid just to educate,” said Jen Macdonel.
“Be careful because there’s a risk. Take off all your jewelry before you go into the water and enjoy your time with your family because you never know what could happen,” said Claire Macdonel.
Claire is expected to undergo tendon repair surgery Wednesday and is expected to make a full recovery. Despite the frightening experience, she says she still loves the ocean and plans to follow her dream of becoming a marine biologist one day.
Warning: Some of the photos from the incident are graphic.
Expert shares safety tips
According to experts, barracudas are common in the Gulf, but attacks on people are rare. Marine life can sometimes be found in shallow water, including barracudas, sharks, stingrays and jellyfish.
“When you are walking around in shallow water, make sure to always shuffle your feet. That action against the ground actually scares away animals that can be in the sand and floating. I recommend not wearing anything that is bright or could reflect in the water, things like bracelets or earrings which could attract some fish,” said Austin Kirwin, Chief of Galveston Island Beach Patrol. “The biggest thing is just be aware of your surroundings.”
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