I wrote a short piece yesterday on a guy who survived a sinking boat and spider bite. Since then more details have emerged. The full story is here.
Basically Robbie Hamouda and a mate were on their way home from a fishing trip when the battery died on their way up the Georges River. The battery died and the boat became stranded on a sand bank. Robbie decided to swim ashore to get help.
Just why he thought this was a sensible move bearing in mind it was after midnight is open to question…Â but off her went. He struggled through the heavy bush alongside the river… then fell in a ditch and over a cobweb. Feeling something on his hand he brushed it aside… and was bitten four times by a redback!
Before collapsing he was able to call triple-0 and searchers spent two hours locating *which* stretch of river he was on and then another 20 mins finding him. Luckily for him he was still alive though he reports feeling he was close to dying.
He was rushed to hospital where the bites were identified and anti-venom was pumped into him.
Most of us have redbacks in and around our houses and usually we take little notice of them… other than to squash them whenever we can… but this is a reminder of just how dangerous they are!
Robbie has been released from hospital… with a *very* swollen hand… an excellent story to tell over Christmas… and the 5 bream he caught. 😀
The Eclectic Interweb 