Charlie Buhl was on vacation in Cancun, Mexico, when a giant crocodile pulled him into the water off a hotel deck. He spoke with Inside Edition about the harrowing ordeal.
One family's beach vacation turned into a nightmare when a 12-year-old boy was attacked by a giant crocodile, injuring him so severely that he almost lost his leg.
Charlie Buhl and another teen went to play on a deck at Club Med in Cancun, Mexico. They were playing on the stairs when the 13-foot beast struck. It grabbed the boy’s leg and pulled him into the water.
“It would just shake me, and I couldn’t do anything. It could do whatever it wanted. It was so strong,” Charlie told Inside Edition.
Horrified hotel staff came to his rescue.
“They were pulling my arm and kicking the crocodile in the eye with their heel and poking its eyes,” Charlie said.
The boy’s mom, Jennifer Buhl, says she was at a restaurant nearby when someone told her Charlie was attacked by a crocodile. She pushed her way through the restaurant to get to her son.
Charlie was rushed to the local hospital with injuries so severe, doctors thought he would lose his leg. Surgeons were able to save the limb, and Charlie spent four weeks recovering in the hospital. Jennifer says the resort paid for his medical bills.
Charlie and his family are now back home in Philadelphia. He has a long road ahead.
“It was like a miracle that I’m still alive. That I still have my leg,” Charlie said.
