A swimmer escaped death after he pried his head free from the jaws of a 6-foot crocodile

• A man escaped with minor injuries after he pried himself free from the jaws of a 6-foot crocodile.
• The man was swimming in a lake in Cairns, Australia when he felt a "sudden impact" clasp on his head.
• Paramedics say the man stayed "remarkably calm" throughout, swimming back to shore after the attack.

A man was hospitalized with minor injuries on Thursday after he reportedly pried the jaws of a 6-foot crocodile from his head during an attack in north-east Australia.

The 44-year-old man, who has not been publicly named, was swimming in Lake Placid in the city of Cairns when he was attacked by the animal, telling paramedics that felt a "sudden impact" clasp on the top of his head, according to the Guardian.

When he realized his head was lodged between the jaws of a 6-foot crocodile, the man put his hands into the animal's mouth to push it away from off his head.

"When he did so and let go, the jaws snapped shut onto his left forefinger," critical care paramedic Paul Sweeney said, according to the BBC.

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Sweeney said that the man stayed "remarkably calm" throughout the incident, managing to swim a considerable distance back to shore "slowly" to call for help.

"He was obviously concerned making that swim that the animal would come up and attack him again, but thankfully it didn't," Sweeney said, according to the Guardian.

The 44-year-old, who told authorities he's been swimming in the lake three times a week for eight years, was lucky to escape without more serious injuries.

He was in stable condition when he was brought to a nearby hospital in Cairns.

There, he was treated for minor injuries, including lacerations to his head, right shoulder, and one finger. While he had some puncture marks on his head, he did not appear to have fractured his skull.

"When you consider that had the crocodile bitten into his neck or his throat where the major blood vessels are, then it could have been a fatality," Sweeney said, according to the Guardian.

"Your skull is pretty hard and there were no breaks or fractures or punctures to the skull, this was merely scalp injuries and the side of his cheekbone and his shoulder and his finger," he added.

Lake Placid is a deep pool that runs off the Barron River, which is a popular park and barbecue area for locals.

However, it is also known for being a crocodile habitat. Only two weeks ago, officials said they would try to remove the 6-foot crocodile, which had already been spotted lurking in the dark waters on multiple occasions.

In a statement, a spokesman for the Department of Environment and Science (DES) told ABC News Australia it was investigating the incident.

"All crocodiles that pose a threat to human safety are targeted for removal under the Queensland Crocodile Management Plan," they said. "The wet season is breeding time for estuarine crocodiles and they may behave more aggressively and become more territorial at this time."

The spokesman added that people swimming in the lake have to take precautions.

But the 44-year-old man who was attacked will most likely be back in the lake soon, according to paramedic Sweeney.

"He's quite a robust individual who insisted that he'd be back swimming there soon, so he's a braver man than I," Sweeney said.