# Steve Irwin (the "Crocodile Man") reported dead in a marine accident **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** celebrity-death\ **Created:** [September 4, 2006, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-irwin-the-crocodile-man-reported-dead-in-a-marine-accident/371369 "2006-09-04T04:36:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-irwin-the-crocodile-man-reported-dead-in-a-marine-accident/371369/81 "2006-09-05T16:32:57Z")
I just pulled Friday, Nov 1rst off of my page-a-day “The Onion” calendar. It had a picture of Steve with the caption, “Crocodile Hunter The Same Way In Bed”. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-irwin-the-crocodile-man-reported-dead-in-a-marine-accident/371369/82 "2006-09-05T17:04:28Z")
[QUOTE=ralph124c] I’m sorry for the guy, but he was pushing his luck a bit-you grap crocodiles tails and soonere or later, you WILL pay the price. I just wonder, when he was picking up poisonous snakes and spiders-did they have a medical team close by? Suppose Steve got a mamba bite- **that would have been worse**. [/QUOTE] Worse than death? And actually, he didn’t pay the price of playing with crocodiles, he was in a freak accident. Completely unrelated. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-irwin-the-crocodile-man-reported-dead-in-a-marine-accident/371369/83 "2006-09-05T17:32:59Z")
[This article](http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601081&sid=aRuw_pTS_8Jo&refer=australia) says the coroner in Australia has been given a video of the accident. I really, really hope it doesn’t end up on line, but I expect it will. ---
**Author:** ![Surbey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@Surbey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surbey)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-irwin-the-crocodile-man-reported-dead-in-a-marine-accident/371369/84 "2006-09-05T18:38:38Z")
[QUOTE=Renee] Worse than death? And actually, he didn’t pay the price of playing with crocodiles, he was in a freak accident. Completely unrelated. [/QUOTE] Very True. Now if he had been eaten by a crocidile, then everyone on here would say , “Well Duh!” but he wasn’t. Now that more information has been released on the incident, I feel alot more sympathetic to his situation. He didn’t die screwing around with stuff he shouldn’t have. He died swiming above what is normally a harmless animal. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-irwin-the-crocodile-man-reported-dead-in-a-marine-accident/371369/85 "2006-09-05T18:44:48Z")
I wouldn’t say harmless. Stingrays can deliver a nasty and very painful jab (hence the name), so it’s best not to threaten them, but only very, very, very rarely are they fatal. ---
**Author:** ![mamboman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mamboman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamboman)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-irwin-the-crocodile-man-reported-dead-in-a-marine-accident/371369/86 "2006-09-05T20:07:00Z")
You know, for Steve Irwin there could never be too many motherf_king snakes on any mother f_king plane mm ---
**Author:** ![Malodorous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-irwin-the-crocodile-man-reported-dead-in-a-marine-accident/371369/87 "2006-09-05T20:22:34Z")
[QUOTE=Renee] Worse than death? And actually, he didn’t pay the price of playing with crocodiles, he was in a freak accident. Completely unrelated. [/QUOTE] Maybe, though I’m still not convinced he wasn’t messing with the ray when it hit him, so while this wasn’t crocodile related, I think it was related to his habit of handling dangerous animals in the wild. ---
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-irwin-the-crocodile-man-reported-dead-in-a-marine-accident/371369/88 "2006-09-05T20:49:10Z")
[QUOTE=Renee] he was in a freak accident [/QUOTE] Freak accident? The barb did exactly what it was supposed to do, eliminate a threat. Wasn’t an freak accident at all, and depending on what Irwin was doing (trying to ride it maybe?) it might not even have been bad luck, but simply a predictable response to stimulus. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-irwin-the-crocodile-man-reported-dead-in-a-marine-accident/371369/89 "2006-09-05T21:16:46Z")
[QUOTE=Operation Ripper] Wasn’t an freak accident at all, and depending on what Irwin was doing (trying to ride it maybe?) it might not even have been bad luck, but simply a predictable response to stimulus. [/QUOTE] Have you read any of the articles we’ve linked to in this thread? So far, everything says he just happened to swim over the thing and get stung. As noted, dying by stingray at all is highly unusual. If he wasn’t provoking it, “freak accident” fits. ---
**Author:** ![2lazy2pee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/4bbf92/32.png) [@2lazy2pee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2lazy2pee)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-irwin-the-crocodile-man-reported-dead-in-a-marine-accident/371369/90 "2006-09-05T21:21:59Z")
Whatever the debate, Steve always assumed blame for whatever happened to him. He never put the blame on the animal, he just said it was doing what comes naturally. I’m sure Terri puts no blame on the stingray, either. Irwin was an adventurer, he was more hands-on than other naturalists, but he always knew the risks. It doesn’t make his death any less tragic, but he would have said, “Oh, absolutely. It was me own damn fault.” He would have harbored no hostility for the critter. ---
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-irwin-the-crocodile-man-reported-dead-in-a-marine-accident/371369/91 "2006-09-05T21:32:21Z")
[QUOTE=Marley23] If he wasn’t provoking it, “freak accident” fits. [/QUOTE] Yes, I’ve read them and they are sorta misleading on that point. It had to have been provoked in order to have stung him. Stingrays don’t spontaneously sting things. ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-irwin-the-crocodile-man-reported-dead-in-a-marine-accident/371369/92 "2006-09-05T21:32:57Z")
This is Stingray City in Grand Cayman in the Caribbean. Divers are invited to play and interact with stingrays. There are several sites like this in the Caribbean. [http://cruises.about.com/cs/caribbeanports/a/stingray\_photos.htm](http://cruises.about.com/cs/caribbeanports/a/stingray_photos.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Malodorous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-irwin-the-crocodile-man-reported-dead-in-a-marine-accident/371369/93 "2006-09-06T00:33:49Z")
[QUOTE=Marley23] Have you read any of the articles we’ve linked to in this thread? So far, everything says he just happened to swim over the thing and get stung. As noted, dying by stingray at all is highly unusual. If he wasn’t provoking it, “freak accident” fits. [/QUOTE] Yeah, but its pretty bizarre that one of the 17 total recorded deaths by stingray happen to be from a guy famous for messing with dangerous animals. It _might_ be coincidence, but I think its more likely that he was grabing at the ray, it freaked and stuck him in the chest. I don’t have any problem with Irwin’s bit, I don’t think he does any lasting harm to the animals and he seems to appriciate the risks involved. But I’m still skeptical that this was a freak attack that could’ve happened to anyone and just happened to hit Irwin. Most of the reports I’ve heard have been from witnesses that were friends and co-workers of Irwin, I’ll be interested to see what more impartial sources (i.e., the corner) makes of the video. ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-irwin-the-crocodile-man-reported-dead-in-a-marine-accident/371369/94 "2006-09-06T01:06:55Z")
[QUOTE=Malodorous] But I’m still skeptical that this was a freak attack that could’ve happened to anyone and just happened to hit Irwin. Most of the reports I’ve heard have been from witnesses that were friends and co-workers of Irwin, I’ll be interested to see what more impartial sources (i.e., the corner) makes of the video. [/QUOTE] Christ, I’m almost hoping the video _will_ make its way online, so we can all see what happened with our own eyes, and put an end to this silly debate. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-irwin-the-crocodile-man-reported-dead-in-a-marine-accident/371369/95 "2006-09-06T06:04:51Z")
[QUOTE=Operation Ripper] It had to have been provoked in order to have stung him. Stingrays don’t spontaneously sting things. [/QUOTE] Obviously the animal was provoked. What we were talking about is whether he did anything to deliberately provoke it, or if he was just unlucky and swam over it without realizing what would happen. [QUOTE=Malodorous] Yeah, but its pretty bizarre that one of the 17 total recorded deaths by stingray happen to be from a guy famous for messing with dangerous animals. It _might_ be coincidence, but I think its more likely that he was grabing at the ray, it freaked and stuck him in the chest. [/QUOTE] The thing is that you’re assuming the conclusion. (So is **Operation Ripper**.) It’s true that his friends aren’t objective parties here, but that doesn’t mean they’re lying. We have hearsay, but that’s still more than the “he was trying to ride the ray” theory has. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-irwin-the-crocodile-man-reported-dead-in-a-marine-accident/371369/96 "2006-09-06T07:01:18Z")
[Here’s a more objective account, via the AP:](http://news.aol.com/entertainment/articles/_a/steve-irwins-death-caught-on-tape/20060905065409990001) > [@](#): > > Stainton estimated Irwin’s distance from the stingray when the attack happened at about three feet. > > State police Superintendent Michael Keating said Irwin was “interacting” with the stingray when it flicked its tail and speared his chest with the bone-hard serrated spine it bore - the normally placid animal’s main defense mechanism. > > “There is no evidence Mr. Irwin was threatening or intimidating the stingray,” Keating said, addressing speculation that a man who became famous by leaping on crocodiles and snatching up snakes must have been too close for the animal’s comfort. People will keep saying what they want to, I guess, but if this guy is right, it sounds to me that reality splits the difference: he knew the animal was there - in retrospect I guess that much was obvious; he had a cameraman out there with him - but didn’t do anything reckless. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-irwin-the-crocodile-man-reported-dead-in-a-marine-accident/371369/97 "2006-09-06T09:29:21Z")
[QUOTE=JillGat] This is Stingray City in Grand Cayman in the Caribbean. Divers are invited to play and interact with stingrays. There are several sites like this in the Caribbean. [http://cruises.about.com/cs/caribbeanports/a/stingray\_photos.htm](http://cruises.about.com/cs/caribbeanports/a/stingray_photos.htm) [/QUOTE] Bet this is going to be bad for their business. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-irwin-the-crocodile-man-reported-dead-in-a-marine-accident/371369/98 "2006-09-06T11:34:39Z")
Something made me stop and think of Steve Irvin the other day. I was walking down the street and I realized I was wearing a pair of Lee Dungarees. Wear your Lee Dungarees in memory of Steve Irwin. ---
**Author:** ![Malodorous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-irwin-the-crocodile-man-reported-dead-in-a-marine-accident/371369/99 "2006-09-06T17:31:36Z")
[QUOTE=Marley23] Obviously the animal was provoked. What we were talking about is whether he did anything to deliberately provoke it, or if he was just unlucky and swam over it without realizing what would happen. [/quote] Is just swimming over a ray provoking it? I’ve swam over lots of rays and never gotten stung (most people, so far as I know, get stung when they step on the things, or when they’re trying to get them off fishhooks), as no doubt have many millions of other beach vacationers. Of course Irwin might have just been unlucky enough to hit that one in a million ray with an axe to grind, but from what we know of the man I’d say the idea that he was petting/grabbing/biting it seems at least equally likely. > [@](#): > > The thing is that you’re assuming the conclusion. (So is **Operation Ripper**.) It’s true that his friends aren’t objective parties here, but that doesn’t mean they’re lying. We have hearsay, but that’s still more than the “he was trying to ride the ray” theory has. Not saying that his friends are lying, so much as I expect they would omit saying if Steve was trying to “ride the ray” or whatever. Not really a lie so much as making thier deceased friend look a little less cupable in his own death through omission, a fairly common reaction I’d imagine. And I don’t mean he was provoking the ray by riding it, I imagine most wild animals find any sort of human contact threatening. > [@police guy](#): > > State police Superintendent Michael Keating said Irwin was “interacting” with the stingray when it flicked its tail and speared his chest with the bone-hard serrated spine it bore - the normally placid animal’s main defense mechanism. I imagine “interacting” involves some sort of contact, which why we may not find provoking, this ray certainly did. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-irwin-the-crocodile-man-reported-dead-in-a-marine-accident/371369/100 "2006-09-06T17:43:05Z")
[QUOTE=Renee] Bet this is going to be bad for their business. [/QUOTE] I wouldn’t be surprised if it increased their business. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-irwin-the-crocodile-man-reported-dead-in-a-marine-accident/371369.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-irwin-the-crocodile-man-reported-dead-in-a-marine-accident/371369.md?page=6)