Snake Bite

[beachwanabe]

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, an eight year old boy got bit by a pigmy rattlesnake last nite walking into the pool area in Seacrest Beach North about 8:30 pm. The location was the eastern entrance by the small square pool. The boy was air lifted from Sacred Heart, to Penscacola. The word I just got this morning, he is in serious condition, was bitten in the heel of his foot.

We have had a great 11 days vacation here, with 2 more days to go, but this makes me stop to think of what can happen no matter where you are... My thoughts will be with this little guy the rest of my vacation.

We all need to remember that snakes are in the area, we are surrounded by empty lots, with bushes at our rental so I am always looking at my surroundings, I tell the kids to do the same.

They did not get the snake, hopefully he left the area....

 

[Roy Hardin]

I was bitten by a copperhead last summer. Very painful!!! I hope that little guy doesn't suffer too much. Jessica

 

[TooFarTampa]

The poor kid. I hope he recovers soon. Thanks for the information. We have a home in Seacrest and I will warn my renters to be careful. I wonder if all the extra rain has brought out the snakes this year?

 

[seagrovegirl]

Rarely is a pygmy bite fatal unless you are very young or have a compramised emmune system. I wonder if Sacred Heart of the Em. Coast doesn't have anti venom and that is why he was life flighted to Pensacola???? The report that he is in serious condition baffles me as well. I truly hope the boy is ok.

 

[Roy Hardin]

When I was bitten by the copperhead, Tallahassee had to identify the snake then mix the antivenom. Jessica

 

[Roy Hardin]

I forgot, that was at Sacred Heart in Sandestin. J

 

[biggreen16]

Hello,

I am the uncle of the 8 year old boy who was bitten by the snake. He is doing fine and should be coming home today. By the way, he was not airlifted to the hospital in Pensacola. He was transferred there via ambulance because they have a childrens hospital there.

Thank you for all of your concerns.

 

[TooFarTampa]

Hello,

I am the uncle of the 8 year old boy who was bitten by the snake. He is doing fine and should be coming home today. By the way, he was not airlifted to the hospital in Pensacola. He was transferred there via ambulance because they have a childrens hospital there.

Thank you for all of your concerns.

Thanks for the update. So glad to hear he is doing better. I guess he will have a good story to tell when he goes back to school. Sorry about all the trauma and the vacation being ruined though.

 

[grace]

this morning on our walk, my 2.5 year old was examining something in the road saying 'look at the worm'. it was a small pygmy. thank goodness she didn't try to pick it up.

 

[mikecat adjuster]

Pygmy rattlers are extrememly abundant here. I have witnessed twice, people walking on my street alone, in fact, right off of my driveway, who were nearly bitten.

Both were simply walking down the street and narrowly missed stepping on the snake and being bitten. One told me that he had previously stepped on one by accident. For me to witness these two incidences on my street tells me that this is a common occurence, resulting mostly in missed, defensive strikes.

However, I have spoken with several people who have been struck by the pygmy rattlers and one who never went in for anti venom. When I walk at night I carry a flashlight because I know how many of these rattlers exist.

I have had 7 or 8 in my yard and drive way area. I have seen numerous in the woods as many of you may know, captured many on film and put the vidoes up here.

I am so glad the young boy recovered nicely and have told my kids about it, who are visiting me again. When my son and I paly frisbee and it flies into the brush, I always insist that I retrieve it. He insists that he can see and that there are no snakes present but it is not something you can always see at first glance or even after careful inspection.

Happy ending to this one though.