Husband a hero in crocodile attack in Australia (Roundup)

Apr 3, 2008, 6:52 GMT

Sydney - An Australian jumped on the back of a crocodile that attacked his wife and prised its jaws open to free her leg from its grip, news reports said Thursday.

Wendy Pethrick, 36, sustained deep puncture wounds in Wednesday's attack at a popular tourist spot in the Litchfield National Park, 160 kilometres south of Darwin, the Northern Territory capital.

The Darwin woman was standing on the river bank when the 2.5-metre crocodile lunged and dragged her into the water.

Norm Pethrick jumped on the crocodile, and together, the couple poked at its eyes to get it to open its jaws.

'I know he very bravely and selflessly responded, and full credit to an enormously heroic act,' Darwin Royal Hospital chief Len Notaris said. 'The sheer force of a crocodile biting down is quite incredible.'

Wendy Pethrick suffered eight puncture wounds on one leg and one on the other but was expected to make a full recovery.

Speaking from her hospital bed to national broadcaster ABC, she said she had no doubt the man she married 17 years ago would risk his life to save her.

'If Norm wasn't there, the croc would have death-rolled me,' the mother of three said.

Her husband said he acted on instinct: 'I just jumped in. If you need to save someone you love, you do it. It's pretty scary, but no time for thinking.'

Park rangers said they were shocked by the attack because the area was believed to be crocodile-free and is popular with foreign tourists.

'The water is only 1.5 metres deep where the crocodile attacked the woman, which highlights that at this time of the year, following the wet season rains, saltwater crocodiles can find their way into rivers and creeks where they are not normally found,' ranger Luke Playford said.