Youth punches crocodile to survive
SYDNEY An Australian teenager is lucky to be alive, paramedics said yesterday, after he reportedly escaped the jaws of a crocodile by punching it in the head during a late-night swim in a river.
The 18-year-old, Lee de Paauw, suffered extensive injuries to his left arm after he was attacked in Johnstone River on Australia's north-eastern coast early yesterday morning, the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) said.
He had jumped into the river as a dare while "revelling with friends", QAS Cairns senior operations supervisor Neil Noble told reporters.
"He's very fortunate that he survived this incident and was able to be rescued... (he's) due to undergo surgery for extensive injuries to his arm," Mr Noble said.
Local newspaper, the Cairns Post, said De Paauw escaped the croc's grip on his left arm by punching it in the head with his right arm.
De Paauw's friends' efforts to get him out of the water quickly helped him survive, Mr Noble added. - AFP
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