Steve Irwin (lost stingray attack death footage of Australian zookeeper; 2006): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 09:43, 28 October 2014

On the 6th of September, 2006, Australian wildlife expert/television personality Steve Irwin aka 'The Crocodile Hunter' was fatally attacked by a stingray while shooting a documentary titled Ocean's Deadliest in the Great Barrier Reef. The attack, as well as the aftermath and, presumably, the moment of death were all captured on camera, due to a production rule imposed by Irwin that cameramen were not to stop recording if something took a turn for the worse, as it was these moments of genuine danger that gave Irwin's documentaries their edge.

According to eyewitness testimonies from crew members, the stingray struck Irwin in the chest after swimming over the top of it, after which point he was immediately pulled from the water, where he proceeded to bleed out, all while the cameras continued rolling.

On September 4, 2006, Steve Irwin was fatally attacked by a stingray while filming a documentary off the coast of Australia. As they were filming at the time, the deadly strike was captured on video. According to colleague John Stainton, Irwin came up over the top of the stingray, and the stingray defensively thrust its spine upward into his chest. He pulled the barb from his chest, and died shortly afterwards.

The footage was handed over to Queensland Police, and eventually ended up in the custody of Irwin's wife, Terri, who states that she never watched the video, and that the footage had been destroyed. Despite this, several supposed screenshots and a portion of the video have turned up online, although neither's validity has ever been confirmed, and the screenshots look nothing like the footage in the video.

Steve irwin death.avi

The supposed leaked clip, showing Irwin being struck by the stingray (legitimacy unverified).
Steve-irwin-stingray.gif

Alleged screenshot of the death footage; 1/3.
Steve-irwin-stingray-2.gif

Alleged screenshot of the death footage; 2/3.
Steve-irwin-stingray-3.gif

Alleged screenshot of the death footage; 3/3.

UPDATE 22 Mar '14: Nearly two weeks ago, Justin Lyons, the cameraman who filmed Irwin's death, gave a 15 minute tell-all interview on Australian morning show Studio 10, in which he recounted the entire event and its aftermath in detail.

He revealed that along with footage of the actual attack, an additional cameraman had also recorded the crew performing CPR on Irwin in the moments following, as it was a 'rule' of Irwin's to have his crew continue filming despite any accidents or injuries.

When asked about a possible release of the footage, he replied "never", "out of respect for everyone", also confirming that he is no longer in possession of a copy, stating "I don't know what's happened to it, but I suspect that it's gone. It'll never see the light of day, hopefully".

Steve Irwin's last words -- Interview with his underwater Cameraman Part 1

Studio 10’s 2014 interview with cameraman Justin Lyons, part 1 of 2.
Steve Irwin's last words -- Interview with his underwater Cameraman Part 2

Studio 10’s 2014 interview with cameraman Justin Lyons, part 2 of 2.

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+On the 6th of September, 2006, Australian wildlife expert/television personality Steve Irwin aka 'The Crocodile Hunter' was fatally attacked by a stingray while shooting a documentary titled ''Ocean's Deadliest'' in the Great Barrier Reef. The attack, as well as the aftermath and, presumably, the moment of death were all captured on camera, due to a production rule imposed by Irwin that cameramen were not to stop recording if something took a turn for the worse, as it was these moments of genuine danger that gave Irwin's documentaries their edge.
+According to eyewitness testimonies from crew members, the stingray struck Irwin in the chest after swimming over the top of it, after which point he was immediately pulled from the water, where he proceeded to bleed out, all while the cameras continued rolling.
 On September 4, 2006, '''Steve Irwin''' was fatally attacked by a stingray while filming a documentary off the coast of Australia. As they were filming at the time, the deadly strike was captured on video. According to colleague John Stainton, Irwin came up over the top of the stingray, and the stingray defensively thrust its spine upward into his chest. He pulled the barb from his chest, and died shortly afterwards.