RACQ CQ responds to two shark attacks in Cid Harbour

RACQ CQ Rescue was called upon to attend to two shark attack victims in Cid Harbour, Australia in two separate attacks a day apart.

The first attack happened on 19 September, when a 46-year-old woman was attacked, suffering life threatening injuries after a shark mauled her right upper leg. She was quickly pulled from the water and onto a nearby yacht, but the RACQ CQ crew were unable to winch her from its deck. She was instead put into a dinghy, which was steered away from the boat. RACQ CQ Rescue Crewman Ben McCauley was then winched into the water and assisted with hoisting the patient up to a critical care paramedic in the helicopter.

“Given how serious her injuries were and how far from shore and from medical help they were, without the rescue helicopter I don’t think she would have made it back to the mainland alive,” McCauley said.

The woman is said to now be in a stable condition at Brisbane Hospital.

The crew was then called out to the same location a day later after a child was attacked on her upper left leg. RACQ CQ sais that the injury was similar to the previous attack, and the wound went right down to her bone.

The helicopter landed on a beach near to the harbour and a doctor and paramedic rushed to the boat she was on to stabilise her. She was then transferred via the helicopter to a nearby hospital. She has since undergone emergency surgery on her leg.