TIMES-DISPATCH (Richmond, Virginia) 05 October 12 Chesterfield man died from complications of snakebite (Mark Bowes)
An amateur naturalist found dead in his Chesterfield County home Monday after being bitten by one of his venomous snakes died accidentally of complications from a snakebite, the state medical examiner's office has determined.
Authorities believe Jack Redmond, 70, of the 10800 block of Hinshaw Drive was bitten Monday afternoon by a Chinese palm viper, one of 24 venomous snakes in his collection. They found bite marks on one of his fingers.
Redmond was battling prostate cancer, had undergone chemotherapy and was taking medication, which friends said they believe may have contributed to his death.
His wife found him about 3 p.m. in the basement, where Redmond kept reptiles in professionally secured cages.
The medical examiner's office did not elaborate on the complications that caused Redmond's death.
A day after his death, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries removed the 24 snakes from his home and transferred them to an agency facility outside the area.
A spokesman said the well-cared-for reptiles will be placed in a zoological facility or private collection.
Authorities said Redmond violated a Chesterfield ordinance that prohibits the possession of venomous snakes and "wild and exotic animals."
J.D. Kleopfer, a herpetologist with the game department, and Dr. Ruddy Rose, director of the Virginia Poison Center at VCU Medical Center, said Redmond's health problems could have figured into making the snake bite lethal.
Kleopfer, who took possession of the snakes, said authorities are nearly positive that Redmond was bitten on the finger by one of his Chinese palm vipers. That snake's cage had been lowered to the floor from a rack holding all the cages, and it appeared Redmond had been feeding the snake or cleaning its cage, Kleopfer said.
Kleopfer said Chinese palm vipers are not particularly lethal compared with other venomous snakes; he rated its lethality as a five on a scale of 10.
"Most bites do not result in death, but death has been recorded with this particular snake," he said.
Other complications can arise.
"It's not simply a black-and-white issue, whether you're going to live or you're going to die if you're bit by the snake," Kleopfer said. "A person's age and their health — those are other factors that kind of come into play, along with the location of the bite."
The amount of venom injected into the body is also a factor, he said.
Rose said vipers discharge a hemotoxic venom that destroys red blood cells, causing internal bleeding and swelling.
Redmond probably could have survived had he received treatment soon after he was bitten, Rose said. It was unclear how much time elapsed from when Redmond was bitten to when he was discovered.
"We've treated (snakebites from) cobras and western diamondbacks," Rose said. "So we have some experience with non-native snakes, and all of those (people) have survived."
Rose said snakebite deaths are extremely rare in North America. He could recall only two deaths in the past 35 or 40 years in Virginia "that were really proven to be the result of a snakebite."
"It's unusual to die from a snakebite in this part of the world," he added. "There are deaths that occur in Asia and South America and Africa, but it's very unusual in North America, if you get medical treatment."
Chesterfield man died from complications of snakebite - Richmond Times-Dispatch: News: p, news, local, chesterfield_county, state_regional
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