- Lauren O'Neill, 29, suffered severe injuries in a shark attack in Sydney Harbour.
- The incident occurred near a private harbor on Monday evening.
- Residents provided first aid and O'Neill was transported to the hospital in serious condition.
Authorities, based on photographs of the bite marks, believe that a bull shark is responsible for the attack. While Sydney Harbour is a well-known habitat for this species, shark attacks in the area are rare.
According to neighbor Michael Porter, who spoke to the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH), he heard a "soft yell" for help outside his window around 20:00 local time (09:00 GMT). Upon investigation, he observed Ms. O'Neill clinging to a ladder on the pier in Elizabeth Bay, an inner-city suburb.
"She was trying to climb in and behind her was her leg, which was completely open and full of dark red blood behind her," Mr Porter said.
Another local explained how his wife, a vet, applied a tourniquet to stem the bleeding.
"She bandaged it up. The bone's broken and it's pretty hectic," Georgia Singleton told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
One witness told the news she regularly sees sharks swimming under the jetty. "I always thought it was a matter of time," she said.
Australia experiences more shark attacks than any other country except the US, but fatal attacks are uncommon.
[embedpost slug="who-is-fred-warners-wife-all-about-sydney-warner/"]
