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Nov 16, 2023

Rockaway Beach shark attack victim saved by hero lifeguards using rope, sweatpants as tourniquet

There was blood in the water and two heroes on the sand. A pair of fast-thinking Rockaway Beach lifeguards used a pair of sweatpants and the rope from an orange rescue float to stop the bleeding of a

There was blood in the water and two heroes on the sand.

A pair of fast-thinking Rockaway Beach lifeguards used a pair of sweatpants and the rope from an orange rescue float to stop the bleeding of a 65-year-old shark attack victim, with the predator’s fierce teeth exposing the woman’s femur, the mother of one rescuer told the Daily News on Tuesday.

“Their quick thinking saved that woman’s life,” said Janet McDonnell, whose son Bill sprang into action with a co-worker after the shark tore off a chunk of the victim’s flesh above the left knee while she swam alone about 50 feet from shore.

“He didn’t think she was going to make it,” the proud mother recounted. “She was bleeding profusely. He said he was just holding her hand ... They actually thought she was going to bleed out on the beach in front of everybody.”

Rockaway Beach lifeguard Bill McDonnell, pictured with his mother Janet, used a pair of sweatpants and the rope from a flotation device to stop the bleeding of a 65-year-old shark attack victim. (Courtesy of Janet McDonnell)

The 24-year-old McDonnell and the second rescuer, Romeo Ortiz, sprung into action just 10 minutes before the 6 p.m. closing time.

The deep bite turned the water a bright red before the first hero steered the woman to shore, where he wrapped a pair of sweatpants around the gaping wound to stanch the bleeding — with McDonnell using the rope as a homemade tourniquet, the workers said.

The victim was identified as Tatyana Koltunyuk, who was by herself in the ocean before her screams brought lifeguards running to the rescue.

Rockaway shark attack survivor Tatyana Koltunyuk, 65, remained in stable condition at Jamaica Hospital on Tuesday. (Facebook)

“It’s a scary sight for all of them to have seen that,” said Janet McDonnell, whose son works as a substitute teacher during the school year and a lifeguard for the last eight summers. “I mean, he told me the whole back of her leg was gone.”

A city worker who witnessed the terrifying scene recalled the badly-injured victim was chest-deep in the water and trying desperately to swim to safety after the attack.

“Chunks were washing up on the beach,” he added.

Koltunyuk has had plenty of struggles in her life.

She came to New York City from Ukraine through the luck of a green card lottery in the 1990s with her first husband and young Dasha, according to a 2015 tribute to her family in the Huffington Post.

Koltunyuk’s first husband died of an apparent heart attack just three weeks after coming to America, according to the article.

But Koltunyuk’s dedication to young Dasha was steadfast. She overcame the language barrier and financial hurdles and worked long hours as a nanny while nurturing Dasha’s precocious skill as a pianist, according to the website.

She eventually moved from Brighton Beach to Manhattan to enhance her daughter’s educational opportunities. Her perseverance paid off, and her daughter was ultimately accepted with a full scholarship to Princeton, according to HuffPo.

The daughter declined to comment on her mother’s recovery.

“Thank you for your concern. Thank you, but we have no comment right now,” Dasha Koltunyuk told the Daily News.

The incident was the first reported shark attack at the Queens Beach in 70 years, when a 15-year-old was bitten while surf fishing after reeling in a reported 80-pound sand shark.

Monday’s victim was rushed to Jamaica Hospital for treatment after the attack near Beach 59th St. She was listed in critical but stable condition.

“It was definitely a group effort,” said Janet McDonnell. “It was great that they had some senior lifeguards there to jump in. If the lifeguards didn’t step in and do that crafty tourniquet first, I don’t know if [police] would have made it on time.”

The beach remained off-limits for swimmers Tuesday as the Parks Department investigated the incident that left the victim hospitalized with her gruesome injury. The victim was later listed in serious but stable condition after the 5:50 p.m. attack.

Cops were seen flying drones over Rockaway Beach to search for more sharks after the Monday attack.

Workers with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation plant a red flag warning visitors that swimming is prohibited on Rockaway Beach. (Mary Altaffer/AP)

The incident came a year after shark sightings at Rockaway Beach led city officials to temporarily shut down the beach in late July.

“Though this was a frightening event, we want to remind New Yorkers that shark bites in Rockaway are extremely rare,” said Parks spokeswoman Meghan Lalor. “We remain vigilant in monitoring the beach and always clear the water when a shark is spotted.”