Man bitten by rattlesnake after helping turtle cross road

For doing a good deed, a man almost lost his life on Tuesday after being bitten by a highly venomous eastern diamondback rattlesnake. The 24-year-old man, whose name was not released, and a friend were driving on Interstate 75 in Broward County, Florida, when they saw a turtle crossing the highway.

After pulling over, the man got out, grabbed the turtle and carried it to a grassy area on the side of the highway. "When he reached down to put the turtle in the grass, that's when the snake bit him," said Capt. Jeff Fobb, of the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Venom Response Team.



Realizing he had been bitten, the man and his friend drove to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, where he described the snake to authorities. They identified it as an eastern diamondback and called the Venom Response Team, which responds to poisonous bites throughout South Florida.

His left hand swollen, the bite victim was admitted into the Intensive Care Unit, where he will need to take several more antivenin doses, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue spokeswoman Michelle Fayed said. Fobb said the young man appeared to be in good condition and spirits. "He's tolerating the bite and treatment very well," he said. "He didn't think much of it until it started hurting and swelling."

There's a news video here.