A sudden glassing attack that left a Warilla man with a 20cm gash to his neck has shocked bar staff who administered first aid.
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The 26-year-old man remains in Wollongong Hospital in a stable condition after undergoing surgery at Warilla Hotel Friday night.
It was 8.30pm and the hotel was filled with a mostly dinner-time crowd of 60-70 people when the man arrived.
He was there for less than 10 minutes before he was wounded.
The Mercury understands the man knew his attacker, who is now being sought by police.
The two men spoke briefly before one lunged at the other with a beer glass, which shattered on impact.
The injured man was seated while three bar staff – two men and a woman – applied compression bandages to his neck.
He later lay down while waiting for paramedics to arrive.
Venue owner Andy Hannelly said the “short, intense incident” came as a shock amid a crowd of people who were mostly finishing dinner or watching the football.
“None of the staff heard or saw any indication [of what was to come]; there were no raised voices, no prior scuffle,’’ he said.
“We are a venue that prides itself on our stance against violence. We will support the police as they [investigate the incident].
Mr Hannelly said both men were unknown to bar staff.
He praised the staff members who came to the injured man’s aid.
‘‘Our staff did an amazing job under intense pressure. They kept [the man] calm and stable until ambulance officers arrived.’’