WA woman loses hand in croc attack
A woman in her 70s is believed to have lost her hand in a crocodile attack in Western Australia's far north.
The Wyndham was attacked at Three Mile Creek, near the town of Wyndham in the Kimberley region at about 2:30pm on Wednesday.
A police spokeswoman has told AAP the woman had a severe injury to her arm and a bite to her leg.
FIRST ON 7: The woman was flown from Wyndham to Darwin for emergency treatment after she was seriously injured by a croc. Photo: 7 News
Two men were driving past Clarrie Cassidy Memorial Oval, near Three Mile Creek, when they saw the woman bleeding.
The partner of one of the men said they realised the gravity of the situation when they pulled over to ask if she needed help.
“It was just gone above the elbow with a bit of bone sticking out,” she said.
“They could not see it any-where so they assumed straight away that a croc had probably got her. They asked her what happened and she was not talking at all and did not even seem to be in shock.
“So they’ve told her to get in the car so they could take her to hospital and she said, ‘No, I don’t want to get blood everywhere in your car’. The boys said, ‘Don’t be silly,’ and they got her into the car and took her to the hospital.”
The woman was stabilised at Wyndham Hospital. A RoyalJU Flying Doctor Service crew based in Derby was expected to fly her to Darwin.
The woman was attacked in the Kimberley region in Western Australia. Photo: 7 News
Police have cordoned off the area of the attack and the crocodile, which had reportedly been located, has since slipped from sight, ABC News said.
Two men were driving past Clarrie Cassidy Memorial Oval, near Three Mile Creek, when they saw the woman bleeding.
The partner of one of the men said they realised the gravity of the situation when they pulled over to ask if she needed help.
“It was just gone above the elbow with a bit of bone sticking out,” she said.
“They could not see it any-where so they assumed straight away that a croc had probably got her. They asked her what happened and she was not talking at all and did not even seem to be in shock.
“So they’ve told her to get in the car so they could take her to hospital and she said, ‘No, I don’t want to get blood everywhere in your car’. The boys said, ‘Don’t be silly,’ and they got her into the car and took her to the hospital.”
She said the men were shocked by the woman’s injuries. “It was terrible, really terrible,” she said. “They came straight home and they wereJU a little bit white in the face and really shaken up.”
There have been two crocodile attacks in the past 24 hours in the Wyndham area. Photo: 7 News
Local resident and Wyndham Supermarket owner Mark Timms said he had spoken to the woman barely an hour before the attack.
It is understood she had been walking her dogs along the creek.
Mr Timms said it was a popular walking spot.
“People have seen crocodiles there before,” he said.
“I have heard of a dog being chased there, but nothing like this.
“It is definitely a shock for the Wyndham community. The lady is well known.”
Wyndham Caravan Park manager Sharyn Bermingham said the creek was about 40m from the nearest road in an area known for crocodiles.
“It’s a little creek which runs on the right, you cross over on the highway,” she said
“People don’t swim there, a lot of people get bait with a cast net (mullet), it’s tidal.
“When there is a bit storm the creek connects straight out onto salt marsh. It runs around the back of the caravan park and you cross it at the bottom of the (popular lookout) Wyndham Bastion.
“People do swim up the top which is behind the bastion, and it is in a freshwater area with pretty waterfalls, but it is about 5-6km away.
“I received a courtesy call from the police about an hour ago to let us know what happened, to let caravan park guests know to be extra cautious. "
Ms Bermingham said the creek was "very full at the moment".
“It’s not unusual for crocs to be there but it’s certainly a big shock for everyone.”
This was the second crocodile attack in the Kimberley region in two days .
A woman was bitten on her stomach by a crocodile while swimming at a popular waterhole near Wyndham on Tuesday afternoon.
Jackie Davies had been swimming at the Grotto, about 30km from Wyndham, with a friend for about an hour when the crocodile struck.
“I was wading in a more shallow area to find a stick to throw for my dog and felt the water underneath me move,” she told The Kimberley Echo.
“A split second later I felt its jaws across my stomach and almost instantly it let go and swam away.”
Jackie Davies suffered puncture wounds and scratches after being bitten by a crocodile.
Woman bitten by crocodile at popular waterhole near Wyndham
Department of Parks and Wildlife acting district manager Bill Dempsey said the department had staff at the waterhole today to confirm it was a freshwater crocodile.
“They aren’t terribly aggressive, but if they are startled they can inflict injury which is what’s happened in this particular case,” he said.
In July, a woman in her 50s was bitten by a crocodile while swimming in a rock pool on the Prince Regent River, about 130km south west of Kalumburu.
