RECORD HERALD (Waynesboro, Pennsylvania) 14 August 10 Snake bite victim: ‘My hand’s going to be fine’A Chambersburg man who was bitten by his pet viper is in stable condition at Harrisburg General Hospital, but has a period of recovery ahead.
Barry Lee Painter Sr., 38, was flown to the hospital Wednesday night after his Western Gaboon Viper bit his left hand.
“I picked him up and he bit me,” Painter said in a phone interview Friday.
Painter said the wound was “blistered and purple.”
“Everything’s fine now,” he added. “My hand’s going to be fine.”
Painter said he will be in the hospital for awhile and declined to answer any further questions regarding the incident.
Pennsylvania State Police said Painter was intoxicated while handling the exotic reptile at his friend’s Walnut Dale Road home in Southampton Township. His friend, Michael E. Keefer, no age given, was driving Painter to the hospital when Painter passed out in the vehicle along Interstate 81. Police responded to the scene and Painter was flown to the hospital.
Troopers reportedly found some drugs in the house when they went back with a snake catcher to get the viper. Police said they determined the drugs were Painter’s, upon investigation.
Trooper Tom Pinkerton, public communications officer with PSP, said Painter has not been charged with any drug possession charges at this time. The investigation is ongoing.
Gaboon vipers are native to Africa and are usually placid, according to .
They have the longest fangs of any venomous snake in the world and can strike with “incredible speed from any direction — including backwards and upwards,” according to the website.
Snake bite victim: ‘My hand’s going to be fine’

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