Shark Attack Survivor Annabelle Carlson Receiving Treatment in Miami

Annabelle Carlson, 15, from Aspen, Colorado, is now receiving medical care in her home country. The teenage girl was injured in a shark attack while scuba diving between Hot Caye and Halfmoon Caye in Belize. 

Carlson was flown to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, where she remains in paediatric intensive care and is scheduled for at least one more surgery on her leg.

A family friend launched a GoFundMe page to support Carlson’s recovery journey.  The page said, “On a family vacation to Belize, Annabelle was scuba diving with a tour group and her family. After she was finished scuba diving and was on the boat, she jumped back into the water for a swim. That’s when the unimaginable encounter happened. The odds are 1 in 11.5 million that this could happen. That unimaginable encounter was a shark attack. It was a very aggressive, very traumatic, terror-filled fight for her life.” 

It continued, “Annabelle was able to fight off the attack as best as she could but was critically injured in the fight. The emergency responders in Belize acted very quickly. She was airlifted by helicopter to a trauma medical center in Belize City. The quick action from the emergency response team in Belize saved her life. They were able to stabilise her, at which point she was medically flown to the United States and is currently receiving care at the top trauma center. Annabelle will have a very long road of recovery ahead of her.” 

The GoFundMe page aims to fundraise its $250,000 USD goal. A total of $155,288 USD has been raised so far.