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Man critical after stingray attack

LIGHTHOUSE POINT, Fla., Oct. 20 (UPI) -- A World War II veteran was in critical condition Friday recovering from a wound inflicted when a stingray stabbed him while he was fishing in Florida.

James Bertakis was on the Intracoastal Waterway in his 16-foot boat when he encountered the stingray on Wednesday, the Miami Herald reported. He was able to get back to his home nearby after the stingray stabbed him in the chest with its barbed tail.

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"It was a freak accident," Lighthouse Point, Fla., acting fire Chief David Donzella told CBS News. "It's very odd that the thing jumped out of the water and stung him. We still can't believe it."

The accident was similar to the one that killed Steve Irwin, Australia's Crocodile Hunter, on the Great Barrier Reef. But Bertakis avoided Irwin's lethal mistake of pulling the barb from his chest.

The Herald said Bertakis was transferred to the cardiovascular center at Broward General Hospital after doctors at another hospital determined that the barb had pierced his heart. He was described as being in critical but stable condition after surgery.

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