Stabbed man 'lucky' to be alive

A Balfour man who was stabbed twice on Sunday in Glenorchy while in town for a stag party was "bloody lucky" to be alive after the knife missed his lung by centimetres, his father said.

Brent Eaton had been celebrating with a group of people when he decided to make an early morning meal in the kitchen of the Glenorchy Holiday Park with his friend Logan Evans.

Detective Sergeant Grahme Bartlett said an argument allegedly developed in the kitchen about 2.50am with another camper, a 53-year-old British man, during which Mr Eaton received two stab wounds to his chest and the side of his stomach.

He was taken by ambulance to Dunedin Hospital and the British man was restrained by Mr Evans for about an hour before police arrived, he said.

Mr Eaton's condition had significantly improved and he was likely to be released from hospital in a few days, Mr Bartlett said.

Yesterday Mr Evans said it had been shocking to see his friend on the ground while he grappled with the accused.

"When I was standing there holding on to the other fella, I thought he (Mr Eaton) was going to die," he said.

A cleaning lady heard the fight and had gone to get help and after people arrived they took care of Mr Eaton while he (Mr Evans) restrained the man, he said.

The British man had taken offence at the noise the pair were making while they were cooking, Mr Evans said.

"He told us to shut up, we told him to piss off and he came back with a knife."

Mr Evans had been in contact with Mr Eaton's girlfriend in Dunedin and was glad his friend was improving, he said.

Mr Eaton's father Paul said his son was doing well and his injuries could have been a lot worse, considering he had knife wounds, he said.

"He had a scan yesterday and I think they were reasonably happy with it. He was obviously very lucky. It was very close to his right lung, one of the stabs."

It was unbelievable something like this could happen when his son and his friends were simply there to have a good time and celebrate a friend's marriage, he said.

"These guys, like Brent and Logan his mate, they're not people that go out bloody looking for fighting and scrapping, they're just a couple of country boys up there with their mates at the stag do," he said.

The British man has been charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and assault with a weapon and was remanded in custody to appear in the Queenstown District Court on March 22.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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