Posted on 05/02/2018 4:09:38 PM PDT by I Drive Too Fast
A 57-year-old man in Oklahoma is dead after being bitten by a rattlesnake, his wife said. Barry Lester was driving in Osage County on Sunday when he saw the snake in the middle of the road and decided to stop and move it out of the way, the Tulsa World reported. But during the attempt the rattler bit him — twice. “It bit his left hand, and then he put it in his right and it bit that hand too,” Lester's wife, Roberta, told the newspaper. The couple was traveling to Keystone Lake when the incident occured. “We were just going to walk and have a day outside enjoying the lake. It was his birthday,” she said. After realizing he was bit, Barry told his wife they needed to go to the hospital. The couple rushed to meet the ambulance at their Turley home, which would then take Lester to a hospital in nearby Tulsa. But then Lester's head suddenly dropped — and "that was it," Roberta said. Emergency officials tried to revive the 57-year-old but it was too late. Barry died from a “combination of the rattlesnake bite and an existing heart condition," according to the Tulsa World. Barry had wrangled snakes before, Roberta told the Tulsa World, which is why he was confident he would be able to remove the rattler from the road. But now his wife has a warning for others: "Don’t mess with snakes. If you hear it rattling, you leave it alone.”
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
"...not wrapped-up underneath the car..."
I’m surprised Barry made it to his 56th birthday.
RIP.
I was on this whale watching boat when we came upon a Killer Whale floating on his back.
I determined that it was in distress and jumped into the ocean to give him mouth-to-mouth.
Turns out he was just trying to get a tan on his stomach.
And why would anyone try to move a rattler? They’re useless for pest control as they eat very infrequently, they have few predator threats yet they cause painful deaths to animals large and small, and they want to kill you and your dog for gardening or farming or hiking, etc.
Not to mention, they are extremely fast little devils and if they want out of the road, they’ll get out of the road without any outside assistance. But do bambi a favor and run over the sucker.
His wife got another shock. The air ambulance bill was $30,000.
Barry Lester wasn’t from Ok was he?
LOL.
That’s why we run them over...
“For healthy individuals, rattlesnake bites aren’t usually fatal.”
I don’t recommend testing your thesis...
Prayers up for the man’s family. There are many variables involved in snake bites. About 50% of bites are dry, meaning no toxin injected. Snake venoms are biologically expensive to synthesize. Actually rattlesnakes carry a cocktail of half dozen toxins. If it has been a month or more since the snake’s last meal he may inject considerable quantities. Most rattlers have a fairly potent cardiotoxic component which was likely responsible for this man’s death. I seen a number of lethal cases in horses.
In West Texas, we generally leave the alone unless they get around the house. The key is to keep the lawn very closelt mowed because they will rarely expose themselves to being picked off by hawks and eagles.
I’m not sure where he was from.
“I’ve had to do it. Hated to do it, since they’re good at eating problem rodents,”
Eradicating rattlers is a happy duty. And maybe it’s just me, but if I had to choose, I would prefer to run into a rodent than a rattler.
The boy don’t learn very quick, does he?
There are plenty of snakes in the world. I could shoot every one I see in my life, and it would not dent the population.
Nope. Gets bit in one hand and moves snake into the other hand and gets bitten there too.
A young Timber Rattler hit my waders as I crossed a rocky section along the stream I was fishing in the Smokies...
I did a Mexican Hat Dance on that critter...Smashed him flat as a pancake....
I sat down and went to light a cigarette...I couldn’t light it I was shaking so much....
Agreed.
“If you are ever bit by a poisonous snake and no immediate emergency care is available, an electric shock will neutralize the poison and save your life. A stun gun is ideal. Jumper cables connected to a car battery will also work.”
That is 100% untrue. That legend started long ago. The testimonial stories are indeed true. HOWEVER, a sizable percentage of snakebites are dry bites...no venom injected. In such cases you could do a voodoo incantation over the bitten person and it would appear to work.
So you will either electrocute a person who doesn’t need help, OR you will electrocute an envenomated victim and speed up their heart rate.
Don’t do it.
Rattle snakes are pretty docile.
They warn you, you stop and spot him, they move on.
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