Dad bitten by a killer poisonous snake incredibly cheats death after doctors said it was too late for him to have any anti-venom
- Ben Duffy, 32, was bitten by a death adder snake as he was loading his kayak
- The father-of-three was on a property in north-east Queensland on Wednesday
- He was taken to Townsville where doctors said it was too late for anti-venom
- Mr Duffy is in a stable condition but has droopy eyes and difficulty swallowing
A father-of-three has incredibly survived after he was bitten by a venomous death adder snake.
Ben Duffy, 32, was bitten on the ankle by the deadly snake as he was loading his kayak onto a vehicle in Abergowrie, in north-east Queensland, on Wednesday.
His wife Jenna said the length of time it took to get Mr Duffy to hospital meant it was too late to administer any anti-venom, the Townsville Bulletin reported.
Father-of-three Ben Duffy (pictured left with wife Jenna Duffy) was bitten by a deadly death adder snake but arrived at hospital in Townsville when it was too late to receive anti-venom
‘The doctors have told him today that he’s got to wait it out because it was past the time they could administer anti-venom, so he’s just got to wait it out,’ Mrs Duffy said on Friday.
Mr Duffy, a mechanic at Cannington Mine in north-west Queensland, had been kayaking with his father-in-law, Peter Kocisa, when he was bitten on a rural property.
Mr Kocisa immediately called an ambulance and applied a tourniquet made from his shirt.
The father-of-three was first transported to his nearby hometown Ingham and then taken to Townsville University Hospital in an ambulance.
Mrs Duffy said her husband was in good spirits until Thursday morning when his eyes became droopy and he began having difficulty swallowing.
Mrs Duffy, who works for Palm Island Barge Company, said her husband was still conscious.
‘We’re going to be okay, we’ve just got to wait, unfortunately,’ she said.
A Townsville University Hospital spokesperson said Mr Duffy was still at the hospital in a stable condition.
He said there is a protocol for administering anti-venom and that anti-venom was available in Ingham.
‘When he presented, the protocol was that the best way to treat him, the appropriate way to treat him, was in Townsville, rather than Ingham,’ the spokesperson said.
Mr Duffy is in a stable condition but experienced droopy eyes and trouble swallowing. Pictured: Common death adder snake