The new horror of shark attack victim Lauren O'Neill as 'sensitive' photo of her in hospital leaked

The woman mauled by a shark in Sydney Harbor is in fresh pain tonight after a 'sensitive' photo of her in hospital was leaked.

Lauren O'Neill, 29, lost gallons of blood – and almost her entire leg – after the bull shark tore open her flesh below the knee and bit down to the bone on Monday evening.

Her limb was saved by a team of expert surgeons at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney's CBD, who operated on her multiple times from Monday evening to Tuesday morning – and she is now expected to make a full recovery.

However, a photo is now circulating on WhatsApp showing a large wound on Ms O'Neill's lower leg.

The image – which Daily Mail Australia will not publish – shows a medic holding her foot.

Ms O'Neill's bandages appear to have been removed and her red-painted toenails are visible.

St. Vincent de Paul Hospital said an investigation has been launched into how the image became public.

“St Vincent's has become aware of photographs in the public domain that appear to have been taken in the emergency department and are associated with those of an injured patient,” hospital spokesman David Faktor said.

'St Vincent's takes patient privacy obligations very seriously and is investigating this matter as a matter of priority.

“We have sincerely apologized for the role St Vincent's played in the taking of the photographs.”

It is not clear how the photo was leaked, but there were several hospital staff and police officers in the hospital's emergency department when Ms O'Neill arrived.

Earlier on Wednesday, the hospital released a statement on Ms O'Neill's behalf, revealing she had taken a 'short swim close to shore' when the horrific attack occurred.

There were fears she would lose her leg, but doctors now believe she will make a 'full recovery'.

Mrs O'Neill thanked her heroic neighbors for rushing to save her, including vet Dr Fiona Cargo, who stopped the flow of blood until paramedics arrived.

Ms O'Neill said she would like to thank 'the heroic and very kind neighbors for the vital help provided'.

She was also 'extremely grateful to the NSW Ambulance paramedics and Kings Cross Police for their quick and caring response to the scene'.

Ms O'Neill, who works for the NSW Government in the Department of Climate Change, highlighted the care of “doctors at St Vincent's Hospital, in particular the specialist surgical teams who worked through the night”.

She also thanked her “beautiful family, friends and colleagues for their unwavering care and support.”

The avid kayaker and swimmer is now focusing on her recovery and thanked the public for their “outpouring of support and kindness.”

Emergency services rushed to a private boatyard in Elizabeth Bay at 7.45pm on Monday and found Ms O'Neill with a serious bite to her right leg and suffering from 'major blood loss'.

But before that, veterinarian Dr. Crago and her wife Georgia, who live in a nearby apartment, to their aid after hearing repeated screams of “shark attack!” heard.

“She suffered serious injuries to her right leg and lost a lot of blood,” Dr Crago told Channel 10.

'Neighbors had already started giving her first aid. We had quite a few people who were so helpful.

“People were throwing down towels and blankets to keep her warm, but I just focused on what I had to do, which was stop the blood flow and bandage the leg as best I could with what I had and just stabilize it. And then put on a tourniquet.'

Dr. Crago, whose actions saved Ms O'Neill's life, said she normally carried bandages with her because of her work but did not have the usual amount on hand in recent days because she had swapped cars.

“But by some strange coincidence, my wife had gone out yesterday and bought two new compression bandages for a different purpose, so I knew exactly where they were and just grabbed them, so it was lucky,” she said.

Her wife Georgia, who was interviewed on Monday evening in the aftermath of the attack, said the victim had suffered a broken bone.

“If she had been bitten there (further), she wouldn't have survived,” Georgia said.

A friend of the couple said Mrs O'Neill owed her life to them.

“Fiona knew what she was doing tonight, if it wasn't for her and her wife Georgia the poor victim would have died,” the friend told Daily Mail Australia.

'I'm so proud of them, they deserve an award. That girl was lucky they were home tonight.”

Mrs O'Neill's mother Petra thanked Mrs Crago, whose quick action and medical knowledge saved her daughter's life.

“It means a lot that the community was there at the critical moment to provide assistance, especially the vet…” Ms O'Neill wrote online.

“(It) shows what a beautiful community you are.”

But Mrs. Crago refused to accept compliments.

“I'm not heroic in any way, I was just doing my job and doing what I was trained to do,” she said.

Mrs O'Neill was taken by ambulance to St Vincent's Hospital where she remains in a stable condition. She is expected to undergo surgery today.

Elizabeth Bay resident Michael Porter, who called triple zero, also praised Ms Crago.

“She was an absolute hero… and I think she saved her life,” he told the Today Show.

“She had wraps and tourniquets and immediately went into emergency mode, and we were all there together as a team.”

Mr Porter said Ms O'Neill was swimming outside a 'harbour pool with nets' and 'swam around the boats'.

“Her leg was dragging behind her a little bit, and the water behind her was all red with blood.

He added that despite being in a “complete state of shock” from the trauma of the attack, Ms O'Neill was “very lucid”.

“People held her hand and helped her, and she was extremely brave the whole time,” he said.

'She had severe bleeding. Her injuries are serious,” a NSW Ambulance spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia on Monday evening.

Ms O'Neill studied science at the University of Sydney and works for the NSW Government in the Department of Climate Change.

Since 2012, when she was 15, she has volunteered for various charities and organizations.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Ms O'Neill has dedicated her time to the SES, the Fred Hollows Foundation, Pink Ribbon Day, Daffodil Day and Spinal Cord Injury Australia.

She has served meals to the homeless, helped create a map of wheelchair-accessible public restrooms, and walked foster dogs.