The wife of a doctor killed by a crocodile in Far North Queensland has revealed her husband’s final words as he sacrificed himself in a brave act that likely saved her life.
Newcastle doctor David Hogbin, 40, was on holiday with his wife Jane and their three young sons near Cooktown when he was taken by a crocodile last month.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Heartbreaking final words of crocodile victim revealed.
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The father of three was walking along an established path on a riverbank when it is believed part of the bank gave way, causing Hogbin to fall into the river below.
A month on, and Jane has revealed the heartbreaking final words her husband spoke as she tried to save him from slipping into the river.
“‘Stop, you’re falling in too’, and then that was it,” she told The Courier Mail.
David’s decision to let go of his wife’s arm meant she was able to find safety on the riverbank as he was taken by the crocodile.
“The screams of ‘help me’ still ring in my mind,” Jane said.
“It’s all still so surreal, kind of the position that he was in.
“The danger that I was in and that one of us got to walk away from it.”
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Meanwhile, since the tragedy, a GoFundMe page has raised more than $160,000 for the family.
“Jane, who was nearby but not walking with Dave at the time, heard the splash and slid down to desperately try to pull him out,” family friend Alex Ward wrote on the fundraising page.
“Due to the steepness and slipperiness of the bank, Jane was able to grab his arm but began slipping into the river herself.”
Ward said it was a “small consolation” Hogbin’s three young sons did not directly see him being taken by the crocodile.
According to a biography on a former employer’s website, Hogbin trained in medicine at John Hunter Hospital before becoming a GP in 2018.
It said he had professional interests in paediatrics, dermatology and acute care, and enjoyed four-wheel-driving and camping with his family.
He most recently worked alongside his wife at Jewells Medical Centre, where colleagues remembered him as “caring” and selfless.
“David was wonderfully compassionate,” colleague Dr Damien Whittaker told 7NEWS.
“He gave all his time to people, no matter what they needed.
“We’re really devastated with sadness for his wife Jane and their children and all of his family.”
