Posted on 09/04/2006 6:50:04 PM PDT by Aussie Dasher
FATALLY injured by a stingray, Steve Irwin pulled its barb out of his chest before losing consciousness, dramatic footage of his last moments reveals.
Friend John Stainton said the footage of the stingray attack which took the life of the Crocodile Hunter on the Great Barrier Reef yesterday was "shocking".
Mr Irwin, 44, died after the stingray barb punctured his chest while snorkelling off Port Douglas, in far north Queensland, yesterday.
A cameraman captured the incident during filming for Irwin's new project with daughter Bindi, eight, that was to debut in the United States next year.
"I did see the footage and it's shocking," Mr Stainton said today in Cairns.
"It's a very hard thing to watch because you're actually witnessing somebody die ... and it's terrible."
Mr Stainton, also a producer and director of Irwin's popular television shows, said the footage showed Mr Irwin pulling the barb out of his chest before losing consciousness.
"It shows that Steve came over the top of the ray and the tail came up, and spiked him here (in the chest), and he pulled it out and the next minute he's gone.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
It's pretty big up here too. My 10 year old son has been crying all day.
Who are the two people with Kennedy?
Yikes!!!
I hope not. I think Terri should have the say if it is released to the public. I don't think I could watch it, but it could be shown with respectful editing. I think Steve would have wanted it that way.
Gotta agree with you on Steve's death being similiar to "The Intimidator". I never watched NASCAR much except for watching Dale Sr. With him gone, its just not the same.
Every time you read the morning news, you expect to read about somebody dying and you get used to it.
This morning, however, I got that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach when I read about Steve Irwin's death.
The fact of the matter is that millions of people genuinely liked the Irwin family better than we liked some of our own relatives.
I am sorry you lost one of your own. He represented your people well.
Prayers for family and friends....
I was thinking this may be similar to the Aussies what the untimely death of JFK Jr & wife were to the US.
He was big here too. My husband, who couldn't tell you the name of a current Hollywood type if his life depended on it, knew immediately who The Crocodile Hunter was. His death is a loss to everyone who enjoyed his shows. I can think of a lot of other folks I'd much rather hear died than Steve. Very sad. God Bless his wife and children.
We all mourn with you. May the Lord bless Steve's wife and children and give them strength for the days ahead!
Did the same thing here.
Steve was loved here in the states....
The barb probably stuck his heart but had sealed up around it (if he was lucky)..but when he pulled it out it released the plug and the sac around his heart filled with blood and he had a cardiac tamponade or it could have cut his aorta...or just put a hole in his heart...
either way, I feel for his kids. He seemed like he was a fun loving guy. He loved his mom and his dad... I saw a profile on Animal Planet...
His dad showed him how to capture crocs...
you live you die.... he looked like the type that lived full bore and loved his job... not much more you can ask the big guy upstairs..
He may have aggravated the injury by pulling the barb out because it's like a fish hook.
Because of a thead on his death earlier today, I had already explained it to my 8yo. It really tore me up when she came from the other room this afternoon and asked "Mommy, what does Steve Irwin, 1962-2006 mean?"
I think he was pretty much buggered either way.
Even though he had lost his "star" quality by the time he died, He was an enormous star at one time. I see a similiarity between John Denver's life and death. He also had passion for his work, was dedicated to the enviroment and had dangerous hobbies. Does this make sense?
It's big here in the U.S. too. Steve, Terry, the children--it's like part of the family.
It's big here too. We are all mourning his loss.
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