Delaware woman describes how she survived brutal attack during Dominican Republic vacation
She shared details about the agonizing attack she endured while on vacation.
It's been nearly six months since Tammy Lawrence-Daley endured a brutal attack while on vacation in the Dominican Republic, but the Delaware woman said she's still tormented by the memory.
"He just plowed into my back and I remember the grunt he made when he hit me," Lawrence-Daley said Thursday. "It's in my nightmares."
The mother of two was enjoying an all-inclusive vacation with her family at the five-star Majestic Elegance resort in Punta Cana in January when a man attacked her when she left her room to grab a snack. She heard heavy footsteps behind her and found herself on the ground seconds later.
She described the horrendous attack in an interview with ABC affiliate WPVI, explaining how she felt the bones in her face cave as she began to go in and out of consciousness.
She said the assailant then dragged her limp body into an underground waste area beneath the busy resort where he beat her with a club, kicked her repeatedly and left her to die.
"He at that point began choking me, strangling me," Lawrence-Daley said. "All I could think of is my husband is going to find me dead with my head bashed in."
"He used something to wrap around my throat to basically strangle me again and at that point I knew I was dead," she added.
She said she fought with all her might to stay alive. Thankfully, her family and friends located her clinging to life after spending eight treacherous hours searching for her.
The woman ended up spending five days in a hospital where she endured multiple surgeries. She said she could not identify her attacker.
Now, she's working hard to spread the word about the dangers of traveling abroad.
"I am still dealing with several issues, including nerve damage, as well as all of the medical expenses since being home," Lawrence-Daley wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday. "Now that I’ve had some time to heal, it’s time to tell my story, in the hopes that women will be more aware, and hopefully prevent what happened to me."
She said the resort declined a request to help her with medical expenses and it did not offer her a refund.
"Police did find evidence of the blood smeared mop handle and a maintenance hat in the area I was found, but this means nothing in these countries," she wrote in the Facebook post. "Victims are not being compensated for medical or pain and suffering, and the resorts are not held liable. Majestic Elegance didn't offer to reimburse us for our vacation, let alone my current medical bills. Litigation went nowhere."
Majestic Elegance did not respond to ABC News' request for comment on Thursday. WPVI said it also reached out to Majestic Elegance and local police for a comment, but it did not hear back.
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