A popular spring break activity landed a Tennessee woman in the hospital after a freak accident left her feeling as though she had been struck by a car.
Cierra Stockard was enjoying a tropical vacation with friends on March 16 when she purchased a dolphin-encounter excursion at Dolphin Cove, Jamaica, the mother of two told « Good Morning America. » The experience, known as the « Dolphin Royal Swim, » allows visitors to have a hands-on encounter with the marine mammals, according to the organization’s website.
The excursion allows visitors to interact with the dolphins as they « foot-push you to then splash into the water at maximum speed, » the website states. Tourists are given the opportunity to stand on the backs of dolphins for a photo opportunity.
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Stockard was enjoying her visit when she slipped and fell off the dolphin, landing on the animal’s fin, she told GMA.
« The dolphin on my left side was kind of swimming a little bit faster than the dolphin on my right side, so it made me unbalanced, » Stockard said.
The impact of the dolphin’s fin felt like Stockard had been hit by a car, she said, terrifying her as she tried to regain her footing in the water.
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« It felt like I was in a car accident because it hit me super hard, » Stockard told GMA. « I started panicking. It did knock the wind out of me. »
Stockard believes the pair of dolphins appeared to try to help her after the fall.
« They came and rubbed against me, and stopped their bodies from swimming to be right beside me, » Stockard said.
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Stockard was rushed to a Montego Bay hospital, where she suffered from a « grapefruit-sized hematoma » and required emergency surgery. Stockard told GMA she has sickle cell anemia, a disorder of the blood that affects a person’s hemoglobin, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Stockard traveled home to Tennessee on March 24 – eight days after the incident – and required additional treatment from a nearby hospital.
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« Luckily, I’m in stable condition and [I’m not] all the way on my deathbed, » Stockard said.
Dolphin Cove did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/us/popular-spring-break-activity-lands-american-tourist-hospital-felt-like-car-accident
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Publish date : 2025-03-26 14:00:00
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