Guinea Grass Swimmer Survives Crocodile Attack

For years, residents of Guinea Grass have turned to New River Park to swim and relax. But a terrifying crocodile attack is now raising serious questions about safety. Twenty-nine-year-old Leomar Narvallez survived after a crocodile reportedly grabbed him by the head and pulled him underwater early Sunday morning. Now the community wants to know what will be done to prevent another attack.

 

Shane Williams Reporting…

”We are here on a warm summer afternoon at New River Park in beautiful Guinea Grass Village. The water is calm, cool, and inviting, but there is nobody here. Absolutely nobody at a once popular location, and for good reason.”

 

Twenty-nine-year-old Leomar Narvallez was swimming in this area when he suddenly felt something grab his head. He realized he was in the jaws of a crocodile. And in a matter of seconds, he had to fight for his life.

 

On the phone: Leomar Narvallez, Crocodile Attack Survivor

“I went in the river; I was swimming and that when I feel like something grab me in my head. And that’s when I feel like wa lee shaking. Like you know whenever something but you. The crocodile shake my head like two time. So in my mind I just ask da weh dis because I never my expect that fi happen.”

 

He was taken to the Northern Regional Hospital, where he received approximately twenty-eight stitches and was later released. The incident has now raised questions about the safety of New River Park, a location that residents regularly use for swimming and recreation.

 

Benito Uk, Chairman, Guinea Grass Village

“Last year, I did a post in my village council page in regards of the crocodile. I took a video because the same time we were cleaning early morning we were cleaning there as usual and I saw the – we saw the crocodile around that area and then I post that. But usually, our community usually use that to recreation and so forth. But unfortunately we had this, what happened last week. I hope the community is aware now that it’s dangerous and we are asking the community and especially parents to be alert. Also sometimes children just go by themselves there and have refreshments there in the New River.”

 

For residents, the concern now is not only about what happened to Narvallez, but whether another person could become the next victim. The attack has changed the way many in Guinea Grass are looking at this popular community swimming spot and Village Chairman Benito Uk says he is expecting the authorities to remove the Croc from the area.

 

Benito Uk

“I was expecting that the Department of Environment contact us to see what measures we could take with the community and with them to see what we could do to, I don’t know, to either the crocodile be placed on another area. I don’t know what else we could do to not to mingle around the area where our community go and take a bath there, no?”

 

This may have happened in Guinea Grass, but the warning applies everywhere: familiar waters are not always safe. Shane Williams for News Five.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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