The Crocodile died after being stung in the chest by the barb of a sting ray.

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Colleague says Irwin death likely instant
September 04, 2006 06:05pm

STEVE Irwin probably died instantly when his chest was pierced by a stingray's barb, the producer of the documentary he was making said today.

John Stainton, who has worked as a director and producer on a number of Mr Irwin's film and television projects since 1996, said it was unlikely Mr Irwin had felt any pain.

He said he had gone “over the top of a stingray and a stingray's barb went up and went into his chest and put a hole into his heart”.

Mr Stainton said Mr Irwin had been rushed back to his research vessel but had not regained consciousness despite desperate attempts to revive him.

“We got him back within a couple of minutes to Croc One, which is his research vessel,” Mr Stainton said.

“We tried to quickly trip back to Low Isle where we were going to meet the emergency rescue people to do immediate and constant CPR, try and resuscitate him back into life.

“When we got there it was probably 10 to 12, and by 12 o'clock when the emergency crew arrived they pronounced him dead.

“It's likely that he possibly died instantly when the barb hit him, and I don't think that he ... felt any pain.”

Mr Stainton said Mr Irwin had been filming with his daughter Bindi.

“We were in the Cairns, Port Douglas area shooting a documentary for Animal Planet called Ocean's Deadliest, which was basically looking at things that can kill you in the sea,” he said.

“This morning Steve decided to shoot a couple of segments for a new TV show that he's doing with his daughter Bindi, and with the cameramen went out onto the reef ... to film a segment on stingrays.”


Curtis Chenoweth