Final heroic act of doctor mauled to death in front of his family by crocodile

The final heroic act of a doctor before he was tragically killed by a crocodile has been revealed.

On August 2, Dr. Dave Hogbin had been on a family walk with his wife, Jane, and their three young children - aged from three to seven years old. The family-of-five had been enjoying a month-long vacation caravanning around the state.

Credit: GoFundMe

The Hogbin family were spending time along the Annan River, located just south of Cooktown, Queensland, in Australia.

While Dr. Hogbin, 40, was walking along the river, the bank suddenly collapsed and the father was sent into the water.

Tragically, he was then attacked by a crocodile, the Daily Mail reports.

After hearing the splash, Jane rushed to her husband's aid and rushed down the bank in an attempt to pull her husband out of the water and to safety.

The father was attacked by a crocodile. Credit: Abstract Aerial Art / Getty

The three children were shielded from the attack by their aunt and uncle and fortunately did not witness the tragedy.

Due to the steepness of the bank - combined with the water making it slippery - she was only able to grab hold of his arm.

As the crocodile continued its attack, Dr. Hogbin made the heroic decision to release himself from his wife's grasp - with his final words to her being: "Stop, you're falling in too."

Speaking to the Courier Mail on Sunday about the devastating attack, Jane Hogbin said: "It's all still so surreal, kind of the position that he was in.

"The danger that I was in and that one of us got to walk away from it."

“He saved me – his last act was to not pull me in with him," she told News.com.au.

She went on to describe her late husband as a dedicated adventurer and an amazing father. The couple had been married for 10 years, meeting three years prior to their wedding.

The grieving mom now says her sons are being resilient as they learn to find the "new normal" following the loss of their dad.

Speaking about the fact their sons are still so young, the mom added: "What really devastates me is that he was such a wonderful father and his boys absolutely worshipped him, and I'm so heartbroken for them that they won't have much memory of who their dad was to them."

A GoFundMe was launched in an effort to help financially support the family at this difficult time.

As of this writing, more than $168,000 AUD ($113,230 USD) has been raised for the family.

Credit: GoFundMe

Writing in the description, a friend of the family says: "While walking along an established path on a riverbank, it is believed a portion of the bank gave way, causing Dave to fall into the river with a known crocodile.

"Jane, who was nearby but not walking with Dave at the time, heard the splash and slid down to desperately try and pull him out. Due to the steepness and slipperiness of the bank, Jane was able to grab his arm but began slipping into the river herself.

"Dave’s final, decisive act was to let go of Jane’s arm when he realised she was slipping in, an act that likely saved her life. In a world-shattering instant, Dave was taken by the crocodile. One small consolation is that none of Dave’s children witnessed this event."

Speaking about the fundraiser and the kindness of the public, the mother said: "I know the boys have certainly appreciated that... If they're having a bad day at school I can just pick them up straight away and we can be together."

Writing for News.com.au, journalist Alexis Carey - who is the sister-in-law of Dr. Hogbin - said his family have spoken out publicly in order to raise awareness over how dangerous the area is and so his children "know exactly how amazing a man he really was".

They also wanted to shine a light on the father-of-three's "selfless final act".

Our thoughts go out to the Hogbin family at this time.

Featured image credit: GoFundMe