Imagine you look down and realize that the world's deadliest fish just stung you. That's exactly what happened to one unfortunate paramedic.
26-year-old paramedic Kacper Krupa went swimming at Hearson Cove near Karratha north of Perth. That's when he realized that a stonefish had stung him. The paramedic put his hand on what he thought was sand but turned out to be the world's deadliest fish.
"Something stung me on my finger... I just took the hand out of the water and it was bleeding a little bit," he told the ABC. The pain that hit him felt like an "elephant kicking your heart." It moved from his hand up his limb and into his chest and heart. After realizing the world's deadliest fish stung him, Krupa still had to drive himself to the hospital.
His girlfriend didn't know how to drive.
"She was basically just changing the gears, I was pressing the clutch because I couldn't use my left hand," he said. "I was trying not to rip off the steering wheel because of the pain."
World's Deadliest Fish?
Emergency room staff at Karratha Hospital gave Krupa painkillers and placed his hand in hot water and vinegar. They then started him on a week's long course of antibiotics to stave off infection. Following his ordeal with the fish, Krupa is warning others to be on the look out for the animal and to avoid a situation like what he encountered.
When getting stung by a stonefish, it's important to seek immediate medical assistance. Its venom can cause cardiac arrest and paralysis. There's a reason that its venom has been recorded as so deadly. But despite some calling it the world's deadliest fish, it's a bit of a misnomer. There's been no recorded deaths from the fish in Australia. Likewise, there's an antivenom.
He said urgent medical attention is essential after being stung by a stonefish and that putting the affected area in very hot water right away will alleviate some of the immediate pain.
However, researcher Professor Richard Harris explained the effects of its venom. He said, "Intriguingly, the venom works in a similar way to venom of the nerve-blocking death adder - a dangerous Australian snake."
