Tin Can Bay, Queensland: Eerie echo of croc hunter Steve Irwin’s death as a beachgoer is rushed to hospital with ‘penetrating wound’ from a stingray
A man has been rushed to hospital after suffering a ‘penetrating wound’ from a stingray.
The victim, a man in his 30s, was stabbed in the foot at Tin Can Bay in south-east Queensland.
His condition is said to be stable at Gympie Hospital.
It is unclear whether the man was stung while swimming or walking on the local mudflat.
Last year, a man swimming in Tin Can Bay on Good Friday was also injured by a stingray.
The man was able to drive himself to the Tin Can Bay ambulance station and was then transported to Gympie Hospital.
The stingrays’ stingers are covered with rows of sharp cartilage spines. These spines are strong enough to penetrate the skin of an attacker.
Not only does the sting cause pain and injury, but the stinger also releases a complex venom, which can cause severe pain at the wound site.
A man has been rushed to hospital after being struck by a stingray on a beach in south-east Queensland
Less common effects of the venom include headaches, nausea and vomiting, fainting, low blood pressure, heart rhythm disturbances and even seizures.
Perhaps the most famous victim of the stingray was the famous Australian wildlife keeper and TV star Steve Irwin.
The beloved conservationist was killed when he was wounded by a stingray at Batt Reef near Port Douglas in far north Queensland on September 4, 2006.
Justin Lyons, an underwater cameraman who filmed Irwin for the TV show Ocean’s Deadliest, was the only witness to the tragedy.
He said the stingray’s sting had pierced Irwin’s chest several times, causing severe damage to his heart.
The stingray victim was rushed to Gympie Hospital where he is said to be in stable condition.
Celebrity zookeeper and TV star Steve Irwin was killed by a stingray off the north coast of Queensland
Although the entire horrific incident was captured on film, the footage has never been released to the public, in accordance with the wishes of Irwin’s closest friends and family.
All copies were immediately destroyed after authorities completed their investigation in 2007.
The whereabouts of the sole surviving copy are shrouded in mystery, but Irwin’s widow, Terri, says it may be in a dusty police vault somewhere.