On a relaxing getaway that turned into a nightmare, an 18-year-old girl from California was attacked by a 12-foot-long crocodile while on vacation in Mexico earlier this month.
The incident happened at the Marriott resort in Puerto Vallarta just before midnight when Kiana Hummel and her friend decided to go swimming late. Hummel told ABC7 that they hadn’t even entered the water when the crocodile emerged, grabbed her by the right leg, and pushed her into the water.
Hummel’s quick thinking and calm after the attack saved her life. She said that she repeatedly hit the crocodile as hard as she could while being dragged underwater. The reptile finally released her right leg and, while trying to escape, grabbed her by her left ankle and dragged her back into the water.
Sarah Laney, a passerby from St. Louis, heard Hummel screaming for help. She said she and her friends ran to help. The group was able to make the alligator drop Hummel’s leg and return it to safety, KFSN reported.
“I just remember saying please don’t leave me,” Hummel said, adding, “And I didn’t think I was going to come out that second time. That was really bad. “
Laney said: “It was definitely one of the craziest and scariest things I’ve ever experienced… Honestly, I’ll never forget it when the crocodile’s head came out above the water. I went into a state of shock. “
Hummel had extensive muscle and tissue damage down to the bone, but she did not lose any limbs and is currently unable to walk.
“I’m on the phone with her, she screams, ‘Get me an ambulance, bring me an ambulance to the hospital,’” said Ariana Martínez, who found out about the attack on her daughter on Facetime. “It took forever,” she added, ABC7 reported.
Laney, who stayed with Hummel after the attack, said it took 45 minutes for the ambulance to arrive. Martinez said the hospital asked them to pay thousands of dollars before receiving any treatment.
According to Hummel, Martinez, and Laney, the hotel did not take sufficient measures to warn guests of the presence of crocodiles in the ocean.
However, Marriott spokeswoman Kerstin Sachl, in a statement to ABC7, said: “The safety of our guests and associates is our top priority. We can confirm that the proper signage, as well as night patrols and flags, were and are correctly placed. “
In June, two British sisters vacationing in Oaxaca were also attacked by a crocodile during a night swim. Melissa Laurie, 28, was swimming in a lagoon at night with her twin sister Georgia on a beach located about 10 miles from the city of Puerto Escondido, a popular surf resort with British tourists, when the crocodile attacked, grabbing Melissa and dragged her under the water.
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