Deadly Snake Bites Stories
Do you ever get chills when you hear the word “snake?” And yes, the word that is being talked about here is no other than the crawly, cold-blooded creature that lurks around forests. It blends in a tall pile of leaves or swims deep in freshwater. A creature that even stares at you from a hole inside your house.
Their immediate appearance sparks horror onto some people. That’s not only because of their physical characteristics, but also because some snakes are considered deadly.
As we all know for a fact, there are many species of snakes around the world, and some of these species are unique to one place or another.
However, despite it having many species, the snake kingdom can actually be divided into two categories based on how deadly they can be.
They can be classified as venomous, which are the ones who inject venom into creatures through biting, and nonvenomous, which can only kill using incredible physical strength.
Nonetheless, they can only be dangerous if they are hungry or provoked, and some species are reported only to eat once a week.
If that was the case, then the easiest thing to do is to avoid them probably, right? You can’t help but be amazed by some people who could tame snakes in other countries, let alone keeping one as a pet.
Let’s be honest, we sure can be a bit panicky when we are holding a snake in a zoo, regardless of the zoo personnel telling us that it is alright, and sometimes we really wonder how these people do these kinds of jobs.
But the fact still lies that every day around the world, some people die because of their encounters with such creatures. In this article, we look at some of the top stories of people who died while encountering a snake.
Slithery Business
Going out and going fishing brings a sense of joy and calm to people who seem to crave to be out of the city for a while. But having a job as a fisherman means having the privilege to enjoy what most people don’t, and that is to be at peace with nature along with the sound of the calm water.
For the 67-year old William Price, who was partaking in a trout study, the 13th of October, 2010 was supposed to be a typical day for fishing in California’s Cuyamaca Reservoir. He was reported to be wearing water sandals on his way to his usual routine when an unwanted creature bit his right ankle, causing him to blackout and stop breathing.
As he was supposed to partake in the trout study, people saw the incident rushed towards him and performed CPR for 20 minutes until the paramedics arrived. Price, however, didn’t breathe again and was declared dead upon arrival at the nearest health center.
A rattlesnake that was hiding was deemed to be the culprit behind Price’s death. Based on the witnesses, apparently, Price’s body was unable to withstand the venom, which led to the conclusion that he was ‘allergic’ to it. Also, the amount of venom that was found inside the body was surprisingly small.
The tragedy was lamentable. But for Price’s wife, there was nothing to do anymore but to accept the fact that the 19 years they had spent together finally came to a halt. In the end, his wife said that Price died while doing what he does best, and that is as good as it gets.
Untamed Pet
Keeping a pet is a lot of work, and that you have to treat it the way you treat a child or another person. By doing all the care for it, you expect it to be tame and obedient as a small price to pay. In addition, you train it to become less hostile and more affectionate to yourself and other people.
It may seem that it is a reward that is, and should be worth all the trouble, but the truth still lies: that not all creatures can be tamed.
The 33-year old zoo volunteer in Los Angeles Zoo named Anita Finch was, unfortunately, a victim of this sort of ‘betrayal’ from a pet. However, it cannot be entirely accepted that it was a form of ‘treason’ since her pet was just one of the ten deadliest snakes in the United States of America.
She was found dead in her Van Nuys, California home holding a note that says “Northridge Hospital – Ask for ICU.” The police surmised that she was asking for help, but it was all too late.
You’ve probably guessed how she died, and yes, it is because of a bite from one of her 12 pet snakes (10 of which were considered venomous). In addition, she was found to own six flesh-eating piranhas as pets.
Her interest in animals left her co-workers amazed, which probably led her to keep these creatures as pets.
To determine the culprit snake, the animal control officers beheaded the ten deadly snakes and presented their heads to the coroner. In the end, the real culprit was unknown since the conclusion was divided into two: one side claimed that it was her Gabon Viper, but the other claimed that it was her Nosed Sand Viper.
Regardless of which snake was responsible for her death, she does not ever wish to tame such creatures who act solely on animal instinct.
Serpent Services
The Bible lists the snake as one of the symbols of evil, which was the devil’s form to deceive Adam and Eve with a fruit that doomed humanity forever.
In all forms of churches and religion, evil sure is uninvited, especially during services. But that doesn’t mean tragedy, also in the form of a serpent, is also uninvited.
According to the East London Holiness Church in Kentucky, based on what the people were saying, the practice of serpent handling can be referenced to the Gospel of Mark, and that they were fond of it.
It says that a true believer’s power is based on how he or she “handles the snake” without causing any harm to the beholder.
However, for the 48-year old Linda Long, it was a matter of doubting her faith or the creature being possessed since the belief aforementioned was not applied to her.
She was bitten during the serpent-handling service proper, on the 5th of November, 2006, by none other than the snake she was holding.
After 4 hours of battling the venom, she had lost her life. Reports have said that it was a rattlesnake responsible for her “failure to be a true believer.” Also, serpent-handling is forbidden in the state of Kentucky.
There are fines ranging from $50 to $100 whether this religious practice of theirs was successful before that of Long’s, the fact that a venomous, nonreligious creature became the star of the show instead of God Himself should’ve been enough to pose a threat.
Not in my Territory
Snakes are known to be very territorial creatures. They hunt food within their territory, and when provoked by a foreign creature, they do everything to defend themselves and their area. Sarcastically speaking, a rattlesnake in Wilcox, Arizona, might have taken territorialism very seriously since the person who fell dead on its venom is not a resident there but rather a tourist.
The case of the 35-year old German tourist Marcus Wolf is, unfortunately, the center of this particular discussion, for nothing is more frustrating than dying in a foreign land. Wolf was supposedly visiting southern Arizona on a bright day dated the 12th of September, 2005, when a rattlesnake bit him. He drove himself to the Northern Cochise Community Hospital to apply immediate measures to save him, only to be transferred to Tucson Medical Center, where he suffered and died of anaphylactic shock.
It was the first case of a person dying from a snakebite in that place since the year 2002, officials have said. Friends of Wolf have contacted his family over in Germany, and that the burial was taken there. Because of this incident, the county had announced warnings that snakes might be hiding anywhere at that time and were advised to be mindful.
Two Strikes
Camping might be a great way to escape the city vibes and just enjoy nature as a whole. If the weather is ideal, then there is no stopping a person from getting his plans of escaping temporarily to fruition. However, as always, nature finds its way for that person to seal his escape from his daily life, permanently.
For the 50-year old Terry Brown, who was supposed to be enjoying his camping trip in Missouri on his 50th birthday with his relatives, dying was never in his plans, let alone dying from a snakebite. In addition, he has been reported to be already suffering from a heart ailment.
So when nature sent a copperhead snake to bite him “by accident,” it was double the kill for him. Reports have said that Brown tried to remove the snake from his tent where he found it, unfortunately biting him during the process.
The surprise factor, coupled with the venom from the snake, has reportedly caused his death.
Prior to the accident, it was said that Brown has already been complaining about several moments of chest pain. In the end, officials have no apparent reason whether the shock has killed brown through a heart attack or through the snake venom.
Furthermore, his death was only the third snakebite-related death in the state of Missouri, so his case brings a fresh new name to the small list.
The takeaway from this small list is that people should leave snakes alone.
As it was stated and proven, snakes only attack when they are provoked. They mean no harm if they are not disturbed. If the situation is dire, call the experts to take the snake away.
It’s best if you know first aid on how to treat snake bites. People tend to enjoy things, but be mindful, for there are other creatures who wish to let their peace be undisturbed, by all means necessary.
Author
JP Velasquez
I’m basically a person who loves to write anything that comes to mind. Dreams of becoming a published writer someday. Currently working on how to make that dream a reality.
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