Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 17
3-Year-Old Crocodile Attack Victim Undergoes 7th Surgery as Family Says He Is Smiling Again
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 17

3-Year-Old Crocodile Attack Victim Undergoes 7th Surgery as Family Says He Is Smiling Again

3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 17

Summary

  • Four weeks after the 18 June attack at Johnsons of Old Hurst near Huntingdon, the three-year-old is talking to nurses, playing with his feet and "smiling again," his parents said.
  • Surgeons completed a seventh operation — a nerve graft on his arm — using a nerve taken from his leg to replace missing nerve tissue in his left arm.
  • His parents said the boy suffered injuries to his arms, neck, head and face, as well as broken bones, and that they had feared he might not survive.
  • More than £67,000 has been raised for the family, while doctors will not know for several months whether the graft restores function in his left hand.
  • Police arrested a 30-year-old Norfolk man on suspicion of attempted murder and bailed him to 18 September; separate inquiries are examining his care after authorities deemed him unfit for interview.

Insights

Can the justice system truly serve both the young victim and his disabled attacker?
The crocodile attack suspect had carers. Where does their duty of care end and criminal liability begin?
A zoo's high fences failed to stop an alleged attack. Are new safety measures needed to protect visitors from each other?