Australian man fights off huge crocodile with pocket knife, then drives himself to hospital

The man drove to a hospital after a crocodile clamped its jaws around his legs in a dramatic attack

Saltwater crocodiles are Australia’s most dangerous predators (AFP/Getty)

A 60-year-old man in Australia’s Queensland who had gone fishing near his home ended up fighting off a huge crocodile with just his pocket knife as the beast clutched onto his leg, dragging him under water.

The man was attacked by the crocodile at a remote part of croc-infested McIvor River near Hope Vale, Cape York, last Wednesday.

He found himself a good fishing spot and was attempting to "shoo away a bull standing on the banks of the river,” the Department of Environment and Science (DES) said in a statement.

But as he prepared to cast his fishing line, a crocodile burst out of the water and grabbed onto his leg.

“He described grabbing a branch of a mangrove tree and holding on as long as he could while the animal attempted to pull him into the water by his boots,” it added, according to ABC News.

The man described that as he entered the water, he managed to retrieve his pocket knife from his belt and continued to stab the reptile on its head until it loosened the grip.

The man then scrambled up the river bank and drove himself to Cooktown Hospital with injuries on his leg. He was later flown to the Cairns Hospital where he received treatment.

The DES said that the reptile might have been attracted to the bull on the spot.

The agency inspected the man for injuries and confirmed that the bite marks were consistent with the attack.

But they said, “due to the circumstances, including the remote location of the property and that there is no public access in the vicinity, DES will not target the crocodile for removal from the wild”.

The attack comes just after another crocodile attack on two soldiers in August in the Lockhart River on Cape York Peninsula. One of the men suffered broken bones while another suffered injuries on upper body. The two had gone for swimming in the river when one of them was mauled by a crocodile.