all very well guys but if I had the choice think I would prefer to die while I was sleeping. Seems the best option to me

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Well as the one guy on here that sees stingray injuries routinely, and has published work on the treatment of them, I can assure you of the "freakishness" of this. There is only one prior similar incident reported (as I recall), and that was also in Australia many years ago. Aussie stingrays are much bigger than North American stingrays (5 feet across, compared to 1-2 feet), with much larger barbs (20 cm, compared to 2-4 cm long). If he got a barb directly into the heart, as has been reported, he died within seconds. No treatment possible, unless he had been standing in a really good emergency department with everyone ready to crack his chest open to fix the hole. Not gonna happen, my friends.

Damned sad thing.

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wow what a freak accident. that sucks. I loved that guy. his shows were great. Im gonna miss them. May he rest in peace and God be with his family that has to live with out him know.

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The question I have is whether the bull ray barb pierced the sternum and caused cardiac arrest through shock or if the protein-based venom stopped his heart. Very strange. SOP for ray stings in these parts is soaking the body part (usually a foot) in extremely hot water (heat denatures proteins). Of course the local rays are usually about 18" wide, not 180cm wide. What a way to go.

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Neither. It most likely entered between ribs on the anterior chest wall, entering the myocardial tissue directly. It acted primarily just like a knife or spear to the heart. He didn't suffer cardiac arrest in the "heart attack" sense. He simply had a heart that was instantly damaged to the point it didn't work. If the pump is damaged, it doesn't pump.

The heat treatment certainly makes the pain less. There is some experimental evidence that the "denaturing" aspect of this is not actually true. The amount of heat that penetrates the soft tissue to get to the poison deeply injected is minimal, and it is very unlikely that the heat is actually "cooking" (denaturing) the protein. Plus, the pain returns, and the heat treatment helps again. Some think it is some sort of effect of the heat on nerve conduction (ie, blocking the sensation of the toxin's pain).

Like I mentioned above. The Aussie stingrays are huge, with huge barbs. Scary!

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Just catching the replay of Larry King here about Steve Irwin- they showed a stingray barb of a similar size to the one the killed Steve...it was at least half a foot long and had barbs all over it. If he would have pulled it out of his chest, it likely would have taken a large chunk of his ticker with it.

Regardless of how he did it, the man was a Marlon Perkins for a new generation and the awareness he raised of the existence of animals, the dangers to their continued survival due to loss of habitat, poaching, etc. was invaluable.

JV

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JV

What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know...it's what we know for sure that just ain't so

Police have viewed video footage of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin's final moments and ruled out that he was intimidating or threatening the stingray that killed him.
Surf Life Saving Queensland has said it is vital not to swim over rays as their barbs can inflict a fatal sting on the trunk of the body.
Irwin died after being stabbed by the ray's barbed tail as he swam over it yesterday during a film shoot on tiger sharks at the Great Barrier Reef.
Authorities say stingrays only flick their barbs upwards in an involuntary reflex action if they feel threatened.
Superintendent Mike Keating said today police had viewed footage of Mr Irwin's death.
"There is no evidence that Mr Irwin was intimidating or threatening the stingray,'' he said.
"My advice is that he was observing the stingray. There are no suspicious circumstances in relation to the death of Mr Irwin.''
Irwin's body flown from Cairns

The body of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin has been flown to the Sunshine Coast from far north Queensland.
Mr Irwin, 44, died after being stabbed in the chest by a stingray barb while snorkelling off Port Douglas, in far north Queensland, yesterday.
His casket was flown from Cairns and is due to arrive at a Sunshine Coast airport later this afternoon.
Close friend John Stainton, who was accompanying the body, said Irwin's funeral arrangements would be left to the family after Queensland Premier Peter Beattie offered a state funeral.
Mr Stainton said a state funeral would be a fitting tribute to Mr Irwin's contributions to Queensland and Australia.
"I haven't thought about and I don't know how they would react to it but I feel that when you're in a public place like he was, that people do need to be able to share some closure," Mr Stainton said.
"I think it probably would be fitting but it's up to Terri."

Mr Irwin leaves behind wife Terri and children Bindi, 8, and Bob, 2.

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Sad news indeed. He was a great animal conservationist and truly cared about his work. I feel terrible for the family...he seemed like a great father. RIP Steve.....