Croc attack twin: I am grateful I came out alive
Brit thanks sister for fighting to save her
THE British woman snatched from the jaws of a crocodile yesterday thanked her twin for saving her life.
Speaking from her hospital bed in Mexico after coming out of an induced coma, Melissa Laurie said she was “extremely grateful” to be alive. The 28-year-old suffered bites to her abdomen, leg and head, a fractured wrist, and lung damage from being dragged under water.
She said: “I am extremely grateful I came out of this alive and that I had Georgia fight my side for me.”
Their mum Sue, 63, told the Sunday Mirror both twins were on the mend. “It’s great,” she said. “They’re both improving.”
Speaking about Melissa’s condition, Sue added: “She has traces of black eyes and a scratch on her face.
“She’s still all wired up and has an oxygen tube going into her nose. She is trying to smile but it’s obvious that she is in a lot of pain.”
Sue and husband Sean, who have a third daughter Hana, 33, are preparing to fly to see Melissa at Mexico’s Angel del Mar Hospital, 10 miles from
Manialtepec Lagoon where she was attacked. She was dragged under water last Sunday by the 10ft croc, which was trying to drown her in a death roll when Georgia rushed in and started punching it. Georgia has told how adrenaline took over. “It was fight or flight,” she said. “You fight for the ones you love.” The sisters, from Sandhurst, Berks, had gone to Mexico to work in animal sanctuaries and travel around.
They were among a group of tourists visiting the beauty spot when the croc struck in shallow water at the edge of a mangrove swamp. The tour had been organised by an unlicensed guide, a Turkish man named locally as Richie, who had little knowledge of local wildlife and safety issues.
He has now been interviewed by the authorities, who are worried about the impact on tourism.
Georgia added: “I actually said to the guide, ‘This looks like a place where crocodiles make their home’.”
A GoFundMe account has so far raised £43,000 to pay for the sisters’ medical bills.
Adrenaline took over... it was fight or flight – you fight for ones you love GEORGIA LAURIE ON SAVING HER SISTER