Soldiers Mauled in Crocodile Attack Sue the Department of Defense

Two soldiers who were brutally attacked by a massive crocodile are suing the Australian Department of Defense.

The two Australian soldiers were attacked by an 8-foot crocodile in 2021 while swimming in Queensland. The department has been charged with breaching federal workplace health and safety laws, with a 7,000-page evidence brief being filed this week.

The two men, a private in his 20s and a corporal in his 30s, had been fishing off the Cape York Peninsula in an inflatable boat, after which they got into the water to swim. The private was then attacked by the crocodile, which seized him in its jaws. The corporal then attempted to free his companion, prising the croc’s jaws open, before the massive reptile grabbed him instead.

The country’s Department of Defense faces one charge of failing its duties under Australia’s Work Health and Safety Act 2011. The case alleges that the department failed to train and inform the soldiers about entering waters where crocodiles live, and had not conducted a risk assessment or safety briefing about the possibility of a crocodile attack.

“One of the guys, he saved his mate, his mate was in the jaws of the croc. They were able to pry the jaws open,” Katie Goodwin, a local business owner who rushed to the scene to help the men, told local news station ABC Australia at the time. “The croc then jumped onto him, grabbed him by the hand [and] death-rolled him about four times.”

The corporal managed to escape after stabbing the crocodile in the eye with a knife that he had on his belt.

“If he did not have that weapon, both those guys would probably be dead,” Goodwin said. “[The boat] was filled with blood. It wasn’t ideal for transporting the two guys that were badly hurt and they needed support in the boat.”

Australia is home to both freshwater crocodiles and saltwater crocodiles, but freshwater crocs are usually found in inland lakes and billabongs and are usually less dangerous to humans. Saltwater crocodiles are found in brackish and estuarine waters across north Queensland, the Northern Territory, and into Western Australia, as well as parts of south and southeast Asia.

Up to 200,000 crocodiles live in Australia alone. These crocs are the largest reptile in the world, growing to lengths of over 20 feet, and weighing as much as 2,000 pounds.

Crocodile attacks can be extremely deadly, and crocs of all species are thought to kill around 1,000 people every year worldwide. Australia, however, rarely sees fatal crocodile attacks, with three deaths being recorded since 2018. Around one attack by a crocodile has been recorded each year since 1985, according to data from the Australian government released in 2017.

The men were rushed to a hospital in Cairns via air ambulance, as they both had extensive wounds.

“Both soldiers suffered significant injuries including bite and claw wounds and were treated at Cairns Hospital,” Comcare, the national work health and safety and workers’ compensation authority, said in a statement last month.

One of the soldiers was left with broken bones and upper body injuries, while the second had his arm ripped open, the Australian Associated Press reported.

The case was mentioned in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday but has been adjourned until December at both parties’ agreement. This charge has a maximum penalty of a $1.5 million AUD fine, the equivalent of $968,000.

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This article by Jess Thomson was first published by Newsweek on 15 September 2023. Lead Image: Stock image of a salt water crocodile showing its teeth in Queensland, Australia. Two soldiers have sued the country’s Defense Department after getting attacked by a crocodile in 2021. ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS.