[aruanan]

How can a sting ray barb, which isn't that incredibly long, pierce someone's chest? I saw a 3" barb described as "huge." At least 1" of that would have been in the sting ray tail.

[South40]

In about 5% of such injuries, the spine is broken off and remains in the wound, especially when the fish is pulled off the victim. Penetration of any part of the trunk (chest, abdomen, groin) is a serious medical emergency. Introduction of the ray's necrotizing venom directly into the body cavity of a person has been known to cause insidious necrotizing effects on the heart and other internal organs, and death is often inevitable.

source

[maine-iac7]

from article in another paper
"The stingray barb that struck Steve Irwin would have been as deadly as a rifle bayonet driven into one of his vital organs, Australian wildlife filmmaker David Ireland said on Monday."
for photos and sizes go to
http://www.oceanlight.com/lightbox.php?x=ray__animal

[MarkL]

How can a sting ray barb, which isn't that incredibly long, pierce someone's chest? I saw a 3" barb described as "huge." At least 1" of that would have been in the sting ray tail.

It didn't need to go in very far... Remember, stingrays have a venomous barb. I'm not sure what sort of toxin they have, but an injury like that, while submerged, it would probably been impossible to save him.

Mark

[Terriergal]

There's not much tissue between the ribs, you know...

[AmericanArchConservative]

A barb can, in actuality, be up to six inches long. In this case, he unwittingly frightened the ray, it's tail lashed out, and the barb entered just beneath Steve's ribcage bearing slightly to the left, and fully penetrated/perforated his heart, front to back.

In tandem with the poison (though that is usually not considered fatal) he was dead virtually instantaneously. Extensive efforts were made to revive him via CPR, etcetera, but the location, size, and severity of the wound made those attempts naught but an exercise.

Even had a surgical team been on the boat on standby, sterilised and fully gowned up, with a fully equipped O.R. as it were, he could not have been saved.

He will be missed by all who respected the natural world, and lived a life at it's edge!

Requiescat In Pacem

A.A.C.