‘Hero’ father killed in Cooktown crocodile attack

An Australian father of three was killed by a crocodile after falling into a river due to a road collapse, his family says.

Dr Dave Hogbin was on holiday in Queensland with his wife and three sons when a riverbank collapsed and he fell into the Annan River at Cookstown.

His wife tried to pull him out of the water, but she too began to slide down the riverbank, forcing him to let go of her hand. His family called him a “hero”, praising his “final act of selflessness”.

Queensland Police say they believe human remains found in a crocodile in Cookstown are those of a 40-year-old man from New South Wales who went missing on Saturday. The remains have not yet been formally identified.

Writing for News.com.au, journalist Alexis Carey, Dr Hogbin’s sister-in-law, said his family wanted to speak out to raise awareness of how dangerous the area was and to let his children “know exactly what a great man he really was”.

Dr Hogbin, from Newcastle, New South Wales, was camping with his wife Jane and three sons – aged seven, five and two – when he was snatched by a 4.9m (16ft) crocodile on Saturday afternoon, she wrote.

Shedding light on an initial suggestion from police that he had gone fishing, Ms Carey said the family were walking along a path on a 5m (16ft) deep riverbank when part of the path collapsed and he was unable to get out of the water.

She said his wife slid down to pull Dr Hogbin out and managed to grab his arm, but she herself began to slip into the river.

“Dave’s final and decisive action was to let go of Jane when he realised she was about to fall, despite knowing she was his only lifeline. In an instant, he was taken away,” said Ms Carey.

“Dave’s brave decision in that terrifying moment likely saved his wife’s life, ensuring she could return to her sons.”

She said the fact that her children did not witness their father’s final moments was “a small consolation”.

Dr Hogbin’s wife, Jane, said: “We were just enjoying a normal day off and everything changed in 30 seconds. He did nothing wrong – in fact he did everything right, and this still happened…

“He saved me – his last act was not to drag me in with him.”

Paying tribute to her husband, she described him as a devoted father and “deeply loyal and protective of his children”.

A GoFundMe page set up to support the family has raised more than A$56,600 (£28,880).

Queensland Police said further testing will be conducted on the remains found in the crocodile to aid identification.

A police report is being prepared and the search has been suspended.