A hiker has died after being bitten by a snake in a popular state park, The New York Times reported. The incident marks one of the rare instances of a fatal snake bite.
What happened in Savage Gulf State Park?
The adventurer, whose identity has not been made public, was bitten around 12:30 p.m. local time on Aug. 8 while hiking in Savage Gulf State Park in Gruetli-Laager, Tennessee. The tragic news was confirmed by Matthew Griffith, director for the Grundy County Emergency Association. Griffith explained that the victim was about half a mile into a trail when he encountered the snake, which the hiker assumed to be a timber rattlesnake.
According to one witness, the victim picked up the snake before being bitten on the hand. It’s not clear at this time why the hiker decided to handle the snake. Emergency crews rushed to the scene and administered CPR before transferring the victim to a nearby hospital, where he later died. Griffith believes that the man may have died due to an allergic reaction, but he stipulated that investigators have yet to conclude their investigation.
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What do experts say about encountering snakes in the wild?
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health notes that, while thousands of people in America are bitten yearly by venomous snakes, only about five of those instances prove to be fatal. The institute notes that medical intervention is often the reason snake bite victims survive.
William Sutton, a professor at the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at Tennessee State University, explained that a snake bite is similar to a bee sting and could send the victim into anaphylactic shock, causing the airways to constrict and blood pressure to lower. “Some people just may be plain allergic to snake venom,” Sutton explained. He added: “Generally, if you don’t bother [snakes], they won’t bother you. They don’t really want to have to bite you.” He advised anyone who comes across a snake in the wild to give it space, and definitely not to pick it up. “If you do come across a snake, give it a wide berth.”
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