STEVE IRWIN - CROCODILE HUNTER'S WIDOW PRAYS FOR STINGRAY ATTACK VICTIM

CROCODILE HUNTER'S WIDOW PRAYS FOR STINGRAY ATTACK VICTIM

The widow of CROCODILE HUNTER star STEVE IRWIN is praying for the recovery of a Florida man after learning he was attacked by a stingray and left for dead. TERRI IRWIN lost her husband when the Aussie TV star and conservationist was fatally stabbed by a stingray near the Great Barrier Reef at the beginning of last month (SEP06). And now she's helping to support a Florida family after they alerted her to a stingray attack on 81-year-old JAMES BERTAKIS. Bertakis' heart was pierced by the barb of a spotted eagle ray on Wednesday (18OCT06) while boating off the coast of Florida. Learning lessons from Irwin's death, the sea-faring octogenarian chose not to remove the barb from his chest and instead piloted his boat to shore and then called emergency services. Surgeons spent five hours operating on Bertakis. His condition has been upgraded from perilous to critical but stable.