A gentleman in Arizona was throwing a birthday party for his kid when he spotted a rattlesnake in his yard. Rather than staying clear of the venomous snake, 48-year-old Victor Pratt thought it would be a good idea to grab the snake and throw it on the BBQ, but first he wanted some photos. He began to pose with the live snake in his hand when the snake got the better of him and bit him twice – once on the chest and once on the face.
Fortunately, because it wasn’t the first time he’d been bitten by a rattlesnake, he knew he was in extreme danger and got immediate help. According to USA Today:
“I said, ‘We gotta go now,’ because I knew what was going to happen,” Pratt said.
He was taken immediately to a local hospital, which doctors said saved his life. He also has received doses of antivenom.
“If an airway is not established in the first few minutes, in our experience less than 15 to 30 minutes, then those patients really don’t have a chance to survive,” said Dr. Steven Curry, Banner hospital’s toxicology director.
Pratt says he’s done playing with snakes.
Image: Jean Beaufort