A Californian teenager was attacked by a crocodile while on vacation and managed to barely survive the ordeal.
Kiana Hummel, 18, while on vacation at the Marriott resort in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, had opted for a night swim with her friend, but were ambushed by a crocodile before they reached the water. It immediately pounced on Hummel’s right leg, the New York Post reported Wednesday.
The young woman recalled she acted quickly and fought back the crocodile by punching it repeatedly and vigorously until it released her, according to the New York Post.
CROCODILE ATTACK: A Bay Area teenager vacationing in Puerto Vallarta was attacked and dragged into the ocean by a 12ft crocodile. This happened at the Marriott resort.
Thankfully, Kiana Hummel survived. She is currently undergoing surgery at Marin General. pic.twitter.com/jtEMHncaxY
— Liz Kreutz (@ABCLiz) July 27, 2021
However, despite releasing her at first, the crocodile attacked again, this time dragging her into the water, according to the outlet. (RELATED: REPORT: Man Pulls His Head From The Jaws Of A Crocodile)
The young woman explained that the crocodile was determined to kill her. “It didn’t want to give up. It went for my right leg and pulled me under the water and then went for my left leg and pulled me back into the water again,” she said, NBC News reported.
Eventually, a group of people who heard her desperate calls for help came to her rescue and managed to save her from the jaws of death, according to NBC News. She was hospitalized, and she still can’t walk since she suffered severe injuries.
Hummel is in California, from where she is scheduled to undergo a second surgery, abc7chicago reported.
“I’m pretty grateful that people were there to help me,” Hummel said from her hospital bed at Marin General Hospital. “I don’t think I would have gotten out” without them, she added, according to NBC News.