A family from is going through the anguish of a second tragedy, nine years after suffering another one. Hannah Smith, 22, was involved in a , that left her fighting for her life.

The young art student from Alabama was celebrating in the Bahamas with a friend, after graduating from Miles College with top honours. During a boat trip, she fell into the water as her pontoon boat was docking and was dragged under by the propellers - which ripped off her legs.

She was pulled out of the water by two fellow passengers, before being rushed to a local hospital and later airlifted to the US.

Surgeons at a Miami hospital carried out eight operations on Hannah, as they fought to save her life.

Her parents, Tracy and Marvin, sisters Abigail and Rachel, and brother Joseph are now praying for her to pull through.

The family also faces mounting medical costs, which are likely to run into hundreds of thousands of dollars.

has been set up to help the Smiths raise money to cover Hannah's medical care.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time the family has faced a tragedy involving one of their children.

Hannah's brother Joseph was involved in a horror motorbike crash nine years ago, that left him quadriplegic.

Joseph, now 30, was just 21 when the accident happened, and was devastated to learn his baby sister had gone through a similar near-death experience.

"It was hard for him to hear. When he heard about it, it really bothered him," mum Tracy told the : "Because every big brother wants to protect his sister."

Despite Hannah's horrific injuries, the family is just grateful she survived the accident.

"I feel like we really witnessed a miracle because we could have very well been planning a funeral," said Marvin.

"Thank God that we're still able to talk to our daughter. That's what we talk to her about every day when she has the negative moments.

"We all band around her. We had a moment yesterday, we banded around her and we told her, 'this is a miracle, and you are a miracle.'"