A man from Arizona was bit on the face twice while playing with a poisonous rattlesnake.
Doctors were able to save the life of Victor Pratt, 48, who was celebrating his child’s birthday in the city of Coolidge on September 7.
During the celebration, a rattlesnake was discovered nearby, and Pratt decided to grab and play with it like he had when he was a teenager.
An Arizona man was bitten on face and neck by a rattlesnake after he grabbed it at birthday
Victor Pratt, 48, said he was ‘showing off’ for his kids during the celebration for one of his children
But after losing his grip on the snake’s heads, the reptile attacked him, biting him multiple times
He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he said doctors saved his life by treating him with antivenom
‘When the kids saw it, I grabbed it,’ Pratt told Fox affiliate KSAZ 10.
‘I showed them how to play with it and was playing with it like little kids do. This is how you play with a snake.’
Pratt said that while he was handling the dangerous creature, he lost his grip on the snake’s head and it attacked him.
‘I wasn’t thinking… I was showing off like I always do and this time it got me in the neck’ and on the face, he added.
The 48-year-old admitted that he was also bit on the hand when he was 19, and having lived through a prior experience, knew he had to get to a hospital as soon as possible.
‘I said, ‘We gotta go now,’ because I knew what was going to happen,’ Pratt said.
Doctors say that a bite to the face by a rattlesnake can cause swelling so sever, it can block airways and ultimately lead to death
Pratt was taken to nearby Banner University Medical Center, where doctors were able to save his life, being treated with 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 University’s toxicology director.
‘If they can get their airway established, they’re very lucky,’ Curry continued.
Dr. Steven Curry (pictured), Banner University’s toxicology director, treated Victor Pratt for his snake bites
‘That is, you’re lucky to have been bitten and been able to make it to the hospital in just a few minutes in order to have those emergency procedures done that are needed to save your life.’
Doctors were forced to heavily sedate Prat due to the location of his injuries, which are particularly dangerous and require stronger medication.
‘I lost five days of memory,’ Pratt said. ‘I didn’t know where I was for five days.’
Dr. Curry told azcentral.com that if someone is the victim of a rattlesnake bite, they should seek immediate medical attention and not treat the injury at home.
‘First-aid measures such as tourniquets, ice, incisions or taking the time to apply suctions … are dangerous and harmful,’ he said. ‘Or completely ineffective, as in the case of suction.’
Venom from a rattlesnake is toxic, and can damage the tissue of the affected area. It can also cause swelling, paralysis and numbness.
Having a bite to the face or neck can close a person’s airwaves through swelling, blocking oxygen to vital organs along with internal bleeding.
The 48-year-old admitted that he was also bit on the hand when he was 19, and knew he had to get to a hospital as soon as possible.