[Image: Tripadvisor]
Seven-year-old Johandré Blom is clinging to life in the ICU after a horrific crocodile attack near Brits on Friday. The beast tore off his arm as he played in the shallows, turning a carefree afternoon into a nightmare.
What was meant to be a peaceful family fishing trip with his father Corné and mother Amanda Blom at the Emanzini Fishing Resort at Roodekopjes Dam became a scene of terror when the massive reptile struck, per Pretoria Rekord.
Johandré and his friend Dylan had been splashing in the water just metres away from their fathers when the crocodile lunged, its powerful jaws locking onto Johandré.
Dylan screamed and fought desperately to pull him free, but the predator was too strong. In a heartbeat, Johandré’s father, Corné, leapt into the water, wrestling the crocodile as it spun violently, dragging his son deeper.
With sheer determination, Corné wrenched Johandré from the monster’s grip, but at a devastating cost – his little boy’s arm was gone.
“Johandré’s father Corné dove in and grabbed Johandré. By this time the crocodile had already spun Johandré around three times. Corné is a big man, and while he was holding onto Johandré, he was also spun around,” Jannie Bekker, Dylan’s father, said via Kormorant.
“The moment Corné managed to pull Johandré free, he saw his left arm was missing. They were both in total shock and I pulled them to the shore.”
Bekker immediately put pressure on the wound by wrapping it in towels, and Corné rushed off with his son to Brits. In the meantime, the Hartbeespoort Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) was alerted, and they met Corné and Johandré along the way.
Racing against time, doctors stabilised him before he was airlifted to a hospital in Alberton. Now, in an induced coma, Johandré’s condition is stable, but the battle is far from over.
Family friend Juan van der Merwe, who launched a BackaBuddy fund to help with the staggering medical costs, says the road to recovery will be long and grueling.
“All funds raised will be used to pay the hospital fees and future medical bills.”
Bekker said it was “a monster of a crocodile”, noting how after Johandré was saved, a young man went out in a boat to see if he could find the arm, and the crocodile went for the boat.
“We went to see the owner of the resort and advised that the crocodile be shot. This must not happen again. It was horrendous.”
Shame, what an ordeal for the little guy.
[Source: Pretoria Rekord]
