Stunning twist in Sydney Harbor shark attack that shocked Australia as 'terrible' secret emerges over aftermath of fight to save life of mauled swimmer Lauren O'Neill
An ugly brawl broke out between locals and a cameraman on the shore, where heroic bystanders helped save the life of the shark attack victim in Sydney Harbour.
A man is believed to have almost fallen into bloodied water near where Lauren O'Neill was mauled by a bull shark in Elizabeth Bay in Sydney's east on Monday evening.
Ms O'Neill was taking an evening swim at a private, off-net wharf in Sydney's east when a bull shark mauled her shortly after 7.40pm.
Mrs O'Neill lost gallons of blood in the water as she paddled desperately to the safety of a jetty ladder and called for help.
Her limb was saved by a team of expert surgeons at St Vincent's Hospital, in Sydney's CBD, who operated on her several times from Monday evening to Tuesday morning. She is now expected to make a full recovery.
It can now be revealed that police were called to the shocking scene at around 8.20pm following reports of an attack.
Witnesses say the fight broke out when a cameraman tried to film blood in the water. news.com.au reported.
It is understood one neighbor got into an argument with the cameraman before the other joined in.
An Elizabeth Bay resident said a man almost fell into the water during the “terrible” scenes.
“It was the last thing we needed, everyone was screaming,” he told the publication.
An ugly brawl broke out between locals and a cameraman on the shore where heroic bystanders helped save the life of Sydney Harbor shark attack victim Lauryn O'Neill (pictured)
The police were called around 8:20 PM after reports of an assault. Witnesses say the fight broke out when a cameraman tried to film blood in the water
'All the neighbors had just experienced it and that was on top of that. Everyone shouted for someone to be pushed back into the water, [the shark] was probably still circling.”
It is understood that police are still investigating the fight. No injuries were reported
Mr Porter – whose family owns the popular condom and lubricant business Four Seasons – played a key role in Ms O'Neill's rescue.
He told Daily Mail Australia this week that he jumped into action when he heard a “soft scream” outside his window.
“I saw Lauren leaning on the ladder with her leg behind her,” he said.
'There was a large dark red pool of blood. Automatically I knew it was an emergency, I grabbed my phone and ran outside calling Triple Zero.”
Michael was soon joined by several other neighbors, including 'hero vet' Fiona Crago, who applied tourniquets to stop the bleeding.
The quick-thinking Mrs. Crago, a former lawyer and TV producer who retrained as a veterinarian about a decade ago, grabbed two compression bandages that her wife had only just bought that day for another purpose.
'I'm definitely not heroic. I was just doing my job and what I was trained to do,” Dr. Crago later to Channel 10.
“I think it's a good reminder for people to be careful, especially at dawn and dusk,” she added.
Michael Porter (pictured) – whose family owns the popular condom and lubricant company Four Seasons – played a key role in Ms O'Neill's rescue.
Michael Porter, the co-founder of Skin Control and heir to Four Seasons condoms, was among the first responders
Mr Porter said Ms Crago was responsible for saving Lauren's life.
'Fiona is an absolute hero, I believe she saved Lauren's life.'
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.
“Lauren's family should be so proud of how calmly she acted in that moment.”
“She was so polite, sweet and brave, she said, 'Thank you for calling the ambulance.' he added.
Mrs O'Neill is recovering in intensive care after a marathon operation to save her right leg.
Lauren O'Neill has been identified as the victim of a shark attack
The 29-year-old suffered significant injuries to her leg and blood loss
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.
Meanwhile, Mr Porter, 33, is a fixture in Sydney's social circle.
Last July, he and his husband Billy Mitchell tied the knot in a star-studded Italian wedding on Lake Como that was nearly derailed by an electrical storm.
Porter's background in marketing and PR led him to create his own brand outside of the family business.
He co-founded Skin Control in July 2019 while helping grow the Four Seasons condom brand.