Two Men Bitten By Snakes In Separate Incidents

August 14, 2011

Two men were bit by snakes in Escambia County on Saturday, including one in Cantonment.

Robert Moore was working under a home on Highway 95A near South Chipper Road in Cantonment shortly after noon when he was bitten by what was believed to be a rattlesnake. He was transported to a Pensacola hospital by LifeFlight in stable condition.

In an unrelated incident, a second man, Steve Watson, was bit by another snake Saturday at a home near Big Lagoon State Park. Watson reportedly tried to suck the venom out of his own thumb before emergency workers arrived on scene. He was transported to an area hospital.

NorthEscambia.com photo.

Comments

7 Responses to “Two Men Bitten By Snakes In Separate Incidents”

  1. mom on August 16th, 2011 12:02 pm

    Always have a snake kit in your medical cabinet.. Use it until medic come.

  2. bratt on August 15th, 2011 1:42 pm

    Thanks fer tha info….I was clueless bout what to do thanks :)

  3. Hmm... on August 15th, 2011 8:44 am

    Focus on identifying the snake, if possible, as well. A good friend of mine is now permanently disabled, in part, because the doctors didn’t believe his bite was from a rattlesnake and he had to wait 7 hours before they began administering the antivenin he needed, not to mention the fact that they elevated the area and put ice on the wound, which goes against even their own standard operating procedures for snake bites.

  4. bigbill1961 on August 14th, 2011 11:53 pm

    In response to bratt,

    In many cases, the venom has also entered the lymphatic system, so cutting off the blood supply would do little more than harm the injured tissue, possibly leading to necrosis. Tourniquets are typically used to control severe bleeding, and even so, they must be loosened slightly periodically to try and lessen the possibility of gangrene. The best thing to do is call 911 and try to keep the victim calm until help arrives. Most major medical facilities should have antivenin on hand for snakes indigenous to the area.

  5. bratt on August 14th, 2011 7:40 pm

    Should u tie sumthn close to tha bite so blood won’t circulate all over ur body?? Would that make a difference? I been woundrn bout that cause I walk to tha barn n its snakey down ner. I woundrned what I should do if I ever got bit

  6. bigbill1961 on August 14th, 2011 2:57 pm

    errn is absolutely right…..

    Sucking out venom, either by mouth or with a pump, does not work and may harm the affected area directly. Suction started after 3 minutes removes a clinically insignificant quantity—less than one thousandth of the venom injected—as shown in a human study. In a study with pigs, suction not only caused no improvement but led to necrosis in the suctioned area. Suctioning by mouth presents a risk of further poisoning through the mouth’s mucous tissues. The well-meaning family member or friend may also release bacteria into the victim’s wound, leading to infection.

  7. errn on August 14th, 2011 11:40 am

    sucking the poison out only works in westerns. actually you can poison yourself worse that way. the mucous membranes absorbs a lot faster and directly to blood stream. no tourniquets either. just call 911 and sit down and wait.