Man bitten by severed rattlesnake head
A man has nearly died after being bitten by a snake that he had just beheaded with a shovel.
Jennifer Sutcliffe, of Lake Corpus Christi, Texas, told TV station KIII that she and her husband were working in their yard when they spotted a four-metre-long rattlesnake, NewsWest9.com reports.
Her husband, who has not been named, decapitated the snake with a shovel, but that wasn’t the end.
When he tried to dispose of the reptile, he was bitten by the snake’s head.
The man immediately began having seizures, internal bleeding and vision loss.
He was raced to hospital and given 26 doses of anti-venom. The average number for snake bite is four doses, Mrs Sutcliffe said.
Despite his wife being told he may not survive, the snake bite victim is on the mend and is in a stable condition, NewsWest9.com reports.
A decapitated snake head can “live” for up to an hour after being severed.
Experts recommend against attempting to kill a poisonous snake and advise it is best to move away and allow the reptile to retreat.
