Australian boy wins punch-up with croc

AN Australian teenager is lucky to be alive, paramedics said yesterday, after he reportedly escaped the jaws of a crocodile by punching it in the head during a late-night swim in a river.

The 18-year-old, named in the media as Lee de Paauw, suffered extensive injuries to his left arm after he was attacked in Johnstone River on Australia’s northeastern coast early yesterday, the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) said.

He had jumped into the river as a dare while with friends, QAS Cairns senior superviser Neil Noble said.

“He’s very fortunate that he survived . . . [he’s] due to undergo surgery for extensive injuries to his arm,” Noble said.

The Cairns Post newspaper said De Paauw escaped the croc’s grip on his left arm by punching it in the head with his right arm.