An expat has told how he helped save the life of a tourist who suffered a horror attack by a crocodile in Australia.
Rescuer Greig Allan, an aircrew officer with RACQ LifeFlight, said the victim was “lucky to be alive” after managing to wrestle free of the animal.
The RAF veteran and his crew on the chopper were dispatched to treat the man, who is in his 40s, and fly him to hospital.
Greig, who has worked Down Under for four years, described how the man received “very deep” puncture wounds from the freshwater crocodile’s teeth.
He added: “I think since I’ve been in Australia, everything is pretty unusual when it comes to wildlife.”
The victim had been swimming in a gorge in a remote national park, 230km north of Mount Isa in north-west Queensland, on Sunday.
The crocodile latched onto his arm as he attempted to reach a small waterfall.
The man later told rescuers how he put up a fight, wrestling the beast until it released him.
Brisbane-based Greig, who was a winchman and paramedic while serving with the RAF and received the Queen’s Commendation for Bravery in 2013, said: “As you can imagine, a two to three-metre croc grabbing you by the arm is going to create some pretty significant injuries, which is what he had.”
Greig said the man’s life was likely saved by breaking free, but it led to other wounds being inflicted.
He added: “He had lacerations to his arm and he managed to wrestle himself free with his one good hand but in doing so created a whole lot of other injuries, puncture wounds to both his hands.
“As he left, the croc had a little nip at his leg, just for good measure.”
The victim was on a motorbiking tour with a group when he was attacked
Fellow tour members alerted the emergency services at around 2pm then drove the injured tourist to a nearby airstrip to meet the rescue helicopter.
Greig, who also worked as a linguist during a distinguished RAF career stretching back to 1996, said: “He was in a lot of pain and the puncture wounds from the croc’s teeth were very deep.
“The patient told us the crocodile would have been between two and three metres long, so he’s lucky to have escaped with his life.”
The victim was flown to Mount Isa Hospital in a “stable condition” and is understood to be recovering.
LifeFlight is a 24-hour flying intensive care unit fully equipped to retrieve patients from remote locations.
Brad Hardy, superintendent for the Queensland Ambulance Service north-west district, said: “Luckily the tourists out there had GPS systems, so the helicopter could locate them exactly.”
Michelle Lomo, former owner of the Adels Grove tourist site where the attack took place, said freshwater crocodiles usually “keep to themselves” but can lash out when feeling threatened.
She said: “Often, during wet season, the crocs have the waterways to themselves and they go behind waterfalls to catch the fish.
“If you swim behind the waterfall where the croc is...it’s going to get a fright and lash out.”
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