Local Rattlesnake Bite Story

[Ksyrup]

Cousin helps save snakebite victim

By Kim McCoy Vann
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

Alex Clark thought his life was over at age 13.

A hefty rattlesnake took two bites out of Alex's right leg, injecting its deadly venom into the boy on Wednesday. But quick thinking and a cousin's help saved his life.

Alex, who's been recovering in the intensive-care unit at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, was stable Saturday. He's been given a whopping 90 vials of antivenin; the average bite victim receives 12 to 36 vials, nurse Karen Pierce said.

"Kids are extremely resilient," Pierce said. "They can be as sick as stink and can come back."

The venom causes internal bleeding and interferes with blood clotting, Pierce said. If left untreated, a victim can bleed to death. Alex's right leg has swollen to about twice the size of his left leg, and he's been in a lot of pain.

Alex and his 12-year-old cousin, Stirling Lake, were enjoying the outdoors in Greensboro on Wednesday. They had picked blueberries and wanted to go fishing. Stirling's mother, Dawn, reminded them to be mindful of their surroundings.

When the boys reached a stand of trees off Matthew Clark Road, their pleasant day took a turn for the worse. The stand was surrounded by bushes, and as Alex stepped closer to check it out, his foot landed on an eastern diamondback rattlesnake hidden beneath pine straw.

"It was as thick as the end of a baseball bat," Stirling said.

The startled snake bit twice.

"My whole body felt like I was standing on one foot a long time," Alex said. "I started tingling in my face. I was scared. I was scared I was going to die."

Alex gave his cell phone to Stirling, then ripped his pants and made them into a tourniquet. Stirling called his father but didn't get an answer, so he called 911.

At first Alex limped and leaned on Stirling, but he couldn't make it uphill. His mouth went numb, and he started to slur his words. Stirling dragged Alex to their Gator utility vehicle and sped toward his house where an ambulance and Gadsden County Sheriff's Office deputies met them.

"Stirling's a lifesaver," Alex said.

During the ordeal, Alex said some things that seem funny now but didn't make Stirling laugh at the time.

"He said a little will," Stirling said. "'Tell dad I'm sorry. Tell mom I loved her. Tell her I bought $40 worth of stuff on her cell phone.'"

Their family is proud of the boys' quick thinking and ability to keep calm in a stressful situation. They say Alex is a free spirit and Stirling is mature for his age.

"The two of them make a great pair," said Alex's mom, Jane Clark.

Alex was flown by Life Flight from a local high school to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. Stirling went with Gadsden County deputies to look for the snake, but they couldn't find it.

Tallahassee is in the heart of eastern diamondback country, said Bruce Means, an expert on the rattler and executive director of the Coastal Plains Institute. They live from Mississippi to North Carolina down to Key West.

It's the most dangerous venomous snake in the United States and Canada and the largest of all 35 species of rattlesnakes, Means said. They can grow to 7 feet 4 inches.

Means said fewer than 10 people a year are bitten by eastern diamondbacks, whose population is declining.

The best thing to do if you're ever in a situation like Alex's is to get help as soon as possible. Avoid cutting, sucking or cold compresses, and try not to move a lot, Means said.

"The time you waste fooling around doing first aid is valuable time you need to get medical attention as soon as possible," he said. "The antivenin is so good. When you get antivenin it neutralizes the venom quickly."

Jane Clark said everyone from the sheriff and his deputies to the medical workers were phenomenal. Alex received antivenin an hour and a half after he was bitten.

But his mother also gives credit to a higher power.

"God had a hand in it," she said.


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I figured I'd scoop Katie Couric and Charlie Gibson on a local story that I'm familiar with. One of our secretaries knows this family (her husband's boss is the kid's mother), so she's been telling us everything that's been going on. Turns out The Today Show and Good Morning America are calling constantly, wanting them to come on their shows, as this kid has now been confirmed as having received the most doses of antivenin in the history of recorded medicine. The story says he'd gotten 90 doses as of Saturday; apparently he started going downhill again and has gotten another 40-50 since the story was written. He appears to be doing much better this morning, though.

The most amazing part of this is that the fang marks are 3 inches apart. Three fucking inches! He got bit twice, and they believe he got a full shot of venom both times.

[Buzzbee]

"They can be as sick as stink and can come back."


Never heard that one before. I figured this story took place somewhere in the redneck outer suburbs of Atlanta when I read this. Not Florida.

[Hammer755]

Originally Posted by Buzzbee

"They can be as sick as stink and can come back."


Never heard that one before. I figured this story took place somewhere in the redneck outer suburbs of Atlanta when I read this. Not Florida.

That's the first thing I noticed too. I figured it came from a sheriff's deputy or a family member, but it came from a nurse so it must be a technical term.

Edit - This is also an instance where a kid carrying a cell phone is a good thing.