A topless sunbather who was allegedly stabbed in the head, neck and chest by a ‘random’ teenager survived because of her incredible personal strength, a close mate says.
Kaitlin Jones, 23, was dripping with blood and screaming for help when construction worker Gavin Odgaard came to her rescue on Blacks Beach near Mackay, on Queensland’s mid-north coast, at about midday on Monday.
She was raced to Mackay Base Hospital and treated for ‘serious lacerations’, before the 16-year-old alleged attacker handed himself in to police.
The top hairdresser spoke to a friend on the phone on Tuesday morning to say she is ‘alive, but tired from all the painkillers’.
‘Still very shaken, but she’s a strong girl – still can’t believe it, really,’ the friend, who did not want to be identified, told Daily Mail Australia.
Kaitlin Jones’ fiance Dylan Gorham (pictured together) is a FIFO worker and raced to be by her side after the alleged attack
Kaitlin Jones (pictured with her fiance Dylan) was allegedly stabbed repeatedly while sunbathing on a beach in Queensland
‘She’s in hospital and okay.’
The friend explained that Ms Jones’ fiance Dylan Gorham, who is a FIFO worker, left his job at a mine site early on Tuesday morning to be by her side.
‘Her parents would be there too, thank god,’ she added.
The teenager was charged with acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm and will appear in Mackay Children’s Court on Tuesday.
Police will allege the attack was unprovoked.
Moments later, Ms Jones crawled to the top of a nearby sand dune where she managed to stand and scream for help as her blood dripped on to the sand.
Her rescuer said if the blade had landed an inch from where it had, the young beachgoer could have died.
Local hairdresser Kaitlin Jones (pictured) crawled to the top of a nearby sand dune where she managed to stand and scream for help
Kaitlin Jones (pictured with her fiance Dylan) is recovering in hospital after allegedly being stabbed by a teenager
The noise alerted carpenter Gavin Odgaard, 58, working on a nearby building site, who then sprinted to her side while workmates called police.
‘She was yelling “Help! Help! I need help!” and the urgency of her voice just spurred me into action,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.
‘She had blood running down the side of her face, down her legs, arms, and she had a blood soaked towel pressed against her chest.
‘The first thing she said was: “I’ve been stabbed, I’ve been stabbed – I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die…”
‘It didn’t become apparent just how serious it was until I was within 8-10 meters and I could see all her injuries.’
The dad-of-two is a trained first aider and tended injuries on her face, head, neck, chest and legs to stem the blood flow while they waited for emergency services to arrive.
Kaitlin Jones (pictured) was covered in multiple stab wounds, each about 2cm to 2.5cm wide. But amazingly, the knife had bounced off her chest bones, saving her life
Kaitlin Jones (left) told Mr Odgaard that her fiancé Dylan Jay Gorham (right) was a miner on night shift who was asleep while she had gone to the beach
He said Ms Jones was covered in multiple stab wounds, each about 2cm to 2.5cm wide, but amazingly the knife had bounced off her chest bones, saving her life.
Just a few millimetres deeper or to the side and the savage stab wounds could have been fatal, he said.
‘There was no sign of the weapon but clearly it was a rather large knife that had been used,’ he said.
‘Luckily I think it hit the breastbone and didn’t get through the ribcage or it could have been a lot worse.
‘I could tell the injuries hadn’t hit any arteries and her lungs hadn’t been punctured, but she was covered in blood, including a wound on her head above her temple.
The victim’s screams alerted carpenter Gavin Odgaard, 58, (pictured) working on a nearby building site, who then sprinted to her side while workmates called police
Carpenter Gavin Odgaard, 58, was working on a nearby building site on the beachfront (pictured) when he heard her screams who sprinted to her side while workmates called police
‘I just tried to reassure that she was going to be okay – but you never know with knives.’
Mr Ordgaard said she told him she had spotted someone walking past her on the lonely beach several minutes before the alleged attack.
Minutes later she saw a male standing over her before he allegedly launched the random attack.
‘She’d noticed him walk by,’ said Mr Odgaard.
‘Then she said within five minutes or so later, she found him over her, stabbing her.
Gavin Odgaard said the victim told him she had spotted someone walking past her on the lonely beach (pictured) several minutes before the attack
‘It was just a random selection of victim. They make that stuff for horror movies – but apparently it happens in real life too.
‘She had been sunbaking topless on her back on the sand, so I don’t know if this has somehow provoked it, but it’s just bizarre.’
She thanked the carpenter for his crucial help as she was helped into an ambulance but he shrugged off the praise.
‘It’s all just instantaneous and you do what you have to do,’ he said. ‘Afterwards I got a bit trembling and agitated, but I’m really happy that she seems to be well.
‘It would have been terrible if she had died.’