A 40-year-old Australian father of three who was killed by a crocodile after falling into a river will be remembered as a hero. Dave Hogbin, 40, went missing on Saturday, August 3, 2024, while traveling with his wife, Jane, their three sons, and Jane's family. On August 6, Queensland Police shared that they believe the human remains found inside a crocodile are those of Dave Hogbin.
According to Dave's family, he was walking along a path on a riverbank south of Cooktown in Queensland, and "wasn’t doing anything wrong." In fact, he was doing "everything right" when he fell.
The family has said that the riverbank collapsed, which is what is believed to have caused Dave to fall into the into the Annan River.
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"Despite being tall, strong and fit, the conditions of the terrain meant Dave was unable to get himself out of the water," Alexis Carey, a journalist and Dave's sister-in-law, wrote on News.com.au.
Jane tried to save her husband by grabbing his arm, but ultimately, Dave decided to let go of his wife's arm when she began falling into the river with him, according to family.
“He saved me — his last act was to not pull me in with him," Jane said. His family added that Dave "was being selfless in his final moment and we’re really proud of that, even though it was putting him in danger."
Dave's young children, who are ages 7, 5, and 2, thankfully did not witness his tragic death. Jane wants the boys to remember their dad as a hero and dedicated father.
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Dave was a doctor, but he was a dad first, Jane explained to News.com.au. "He always jokingly offered to be a stay-at-home dad and never work again, because [the kids] were his No. 1 priority,” Jane said.
Of course, Dave's family and friends are "completely broken," but they also know that they were "so incredibly lucky to have had Dave in our lives," according to a GoFundMe page set up by one of Dave's friends.
"Dave had achieved something that we will all strive to emulate; he realised before it was too late that he had everything he needed in life in his family, friends, and the time they were able to enjoy together," the GoFundMe page reads.
Jane called her husband's death a "random accident" because he hadn't been doing anything wrong, and nothing could've been done to avoid what happened. His family hopes people recognize how brave and selfless he was.
“We want people to know how brave he was — he was a hero, and the boys will always know that,” the family said, per News.com.au.
