TAMPA, FLORIDA: In a harrowing incident that brings to mind the sorrowful event that led to the death of the celebrated Australian 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin, a Florida woman found herself face-to-face with danger as a stingray impaled her while swimming at a Tampa beach.
Kristie O'Brien's near-death experience unfolded at Ruskin's Bahia Beach, where she and her husband Thomas sought relief from the sweltering Florida heat. During her leisurely swim, O'Brien suddenly felt a sharp, stinging sensation in her back.
O'Brien, a traveling nurse, has to delay her next assignment due to her injury, per a GoFundMe post started by Thomas. He also wrote that the stingray was injured and dying and missed her lung by 1.2 inch (3 cm).
A stingray encounter mirroring Steve Irwin
Upon standing up, she discovered a massive stingray barb protruding from her shoulder, a chilling moment that hospital images would later vividly capture. The barb had come terrifyingly close to her lungs, leaving her with an unsettling realization of just how fortunate she was to survive.
Rushed to St Joseph's Main Hospital in Tampa, O'Brien was met by a trauma team who swiftly removed the barb and administered treatment to counteract the venom's effects. Paramedics skillfully freed O'Brien from her aquatic assailant, using shears to cut the stingray at the base of its tail.
Taking to Instagram, O'Brien shared her ordeal, writing, "Yesterday while I was at Little Harbor in Apollo Beach, I was impaled by a stingray. This stingray tried to pull a Steve Irwin, and almost pierced my lung," per Daily Mail.
She continued, "A near miss by only a few inches. I have never been so scared and actually thought I was going to die, but Thomas was by my side and kept me calm."
Currently hospitalized, O'Brien is slated to remain under medical care for an additional week to ensure she does not fall victim to any potential bacterial infections from the oceanic waters. This incident inevitably draws parallels to the tragic demise of Australia's beloved Crocodile Hunter,
How did Steve Irwin die?
Irwin, met his untimely end in 2006 at age 44, when a stingray struck him while he was filming in the Great Barrier Reef. O'Brien shared her physical discomfort following the encounter, revealing, "'It is still incredibly sore, like spurts of pain and they say that's just because of the toxin that is in the barb of the stingray itself."
"It went through muscle where the puncture actually was, and there are still toxins there." Despite the traumatic incident, O'Brien remains steadfast in her determination to return to the water.
She stated, "I'll go back in the water again, probably (just) not in the bay. I probably won't be swimming in the bay. But I mean, stingrays are out there and we're in their environment."
Based on its color and size, experts believe the creature responsible for the encounter was likely a Southern stingray. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reassures that this species is generally non-aggressive and poses little danger to humans.
How poisonous is a stingray?
The injury caused by the puncture itself is not the sole source of pain; accompanying the wound is the discharge of an intricate venom, triggering heightened discomfort in the area of penetration.
Unusual consequences arising from this venom include headaches, queasiness, retching, instances of fainting, diminished blood pressure, irregular heart rhythms, and in some cases, seizures.
Could Steve Irwin survive?
The only person to witness the moment Irwin was pierced in the chest by a stingray barb said the injuries were so severe that the Australian TV naturalist could not possibly have been saved.
