Aussie beauty Tara Hawkes, 23, escapes death from jaws of cannibal crocodile
The 23-year-old was attacked by a three-metre-long croc
while she paddled in a freshwater pool in Dugong Bay, Western Australia, during
a break from her job as a hostess on a luxury cruise ship.
Before she'd even spotted it in the water, the terrifying
creature had clamped its teeth around her left thigh and pulled her under the
surface.
Tara said: “I felt this impact on my leg and I was pulled
under water.
"He was playing with me like I was a teddy bear.
"I was just screaming for help. I thought I was going
to die. I could only see about four centimetres of the top of my leg and the
rest was in the croc’s gob."
Tara's friend Al Sartori was watching on from the shore and
thought Tara was playing a prank on him - until he spotted blood in the water.
Al grabbed bystander Mike Fletcher and the pair dived in and
swam to the rescue.
Mike held Tara's head above the water, while Al wrestled the
croc until it released its grip and they were able to pull her to safety.
Injuries ... Tara was left with deep wounds on her left thigh and feared she'd lose her leg
Tara explained: “Al stuck his thumbs into its eyes and it
released its grip a little bit and I managed to get my leg out with the help of
Mike."
But Tara's ordeal was not over. She had lost pints of blood
and had to be airlifted to a nearby hospital, where surgeons spent four hours
battling to save her leg.
She explained: "I looked at my leg and it had been
ripped to pieces. I thought I had a chance of losing it at that stage."
The doctors were successful and Tara is left with just scars
to remind her of her brush with death.
Al and Mike, meanwhile, have been honoured for their heroism
with the Royal Life Saving Society’s Western Power Bravery Awards.
SOURCE: thesun.co.uk
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