Pet rattler takes bite out of man!

[djc3674]

Story from the NY Daily News:

Pet rattler takes bite out of man

A Long Island man feeding his pet rattlesnake got into big trouble yesterday when the diamondback put him on the menu, police said.
The 3-foot-long rattler bit Andrew Kessler, 25, on the right hand, injecting a potentially lethal dose of venom, they said.

Kessler managed to call 911 and summon cops and Nassau County paramedics to his Massapequa home shortly after 4 p.m. They took him by helicopter to the snake-bite center at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx.

Paramedic supervisor Robert O'Brien said the "relatively slow-acting" snake venom would "likely do a lot of damage to the guy's skin and muscle, but otherwise he should be okay."

"He's lucky he called right away," O'Brien said.

By late last night, Kessler was in good condition on anti-venom medication and was expected to make a full recovery, a Jacobi spokesman said.

Investigators said Kessler also kept a poisonous copperhead, as well as several nonvenomous snakes, at his home.

The law prohibits anyone from possessing poisonous snakes without a license. It was unclear if Kessler had one.


Richard Weir and Leo Standora



Originally published on March 24, 2004