A teenager was recently mauled by a Crocodile. It all happened after he was dared to enter the river, which was infested with crocodiles. The 18-year-old, Lee De Paauw, entered the Johnstone River in Innisfail, Australia, and shortly after he was grabbed by a crocodile. The incident occurred this past Sunday around two-thirty in the morning. Apparently, the crocodile grabbed him just as he tried getting out the water, but he punched it in the head and managed to get free. However, the Teen did suffer severe injuries to his arm.
Friends rescued him
A local paramedic, Neil Nobel, said his friends took action and and saved the teen from the Crocodile. Afterwards, he was rushed to a hospital in Cairns. Noble spoke with 9News and said there were reports that De Paauw was dared to jump into the river. Noble said De Paauw took his friends up on the dare and jumped in. He added that the area is known for its crocodile population. He also said they were grateful that he survived the ordeal because it could have been fatal. The paramedic said getting out of the water was vital. He said the crocodile could have gotten a good grip and could have done the death roll. This would have drowned Da Paauw.
Bragged how he could swim among crocodiles
Sophie Paterson, 24, witnessed the incident. She said the teen bragged how he could swim in the crocodile-infested river. She said he claimed he could swim out and back. She said the group initially told him he shouldn't be ridiculous. They didn't think he was actually going to do it, but then he did.
She said as soon as he jumped in, the crocodile struck and there was a lot of splashing and screaming going on.
The crocodile is thought to be four-feet long. It's believed to have been a saltwater crocodile, one of Australia's most dangerous animals. Since 1985, eight people have been killed by saltwater crocodiles.
Not the first time it has happened
This isn't the first time someone had to be rescued after taking a dip in waters infested with crocodiles. In 2008, a crocodile was shot to prevent a swimmer from being attacked. That incident also happened in Australia, and the swimmer was intoxicated. In that incident, then man was dared to enter the water. Onlookers witnessed the whole thing. The man swam near a crocodile trap, but there was a crocodile swimming near him. That's when the police were phoned and the swimmer was rescued.
