ST PETERSBURG TIMES (Florida) 26 November 06 After fanged greeting, a footrace against time (Ben Montgomery)
Plant City: Brandon Parker held a rifle on an armed kidnapper to help a victim escape. He recovered an elderly woman's life savings from a thief. The young Hillsborough County sheriff's deputy helped so many people he earned the department's top honor in 2005: Law Enforcement Deputy of the Year.
Saturday afternoon, inside thick woods near County Line Road, the 28-year-old husband and father needed help himself. An eastern diamondback rattlesnake bit Parker on the left leg. He was nearing shock when a friend dialed 911 and set in motion a dramatic rush against time to get him out of the woods and to a hospital, where he was in serious condition Saturday night.
Lt. James Anderson was watching the Florida-Florida State football game inside Station 36 when the dispatcher reported a snakebite victim in a patch of woods off State Road 60. Anderson and his team raced to the scene.
They got to the English Creek Environmental Study Center a little after 1 p.m. Anderson met a man on an all-terrain vehicle, and the two rushed into the large wildlife habitat in search of Parker.
About a half-mile into the woods, they abandoned the ATV and fought their way through vines and trees. Anderson trudged through a creek with his rescue equipment.
Meanwhile, a dispatcher radioed paramedics miles away at Tampa General Hospital. An Aeromed helicopter team assembled and waited for antivenin.
Eastern diamondback rattlesnakes are shy animals that can grow to be 8 feet in length and carry some of the most complex biological toxins known, said Bruce Shwedick, who owns Reptile Discovery in Plant City and lectures on venomous snakes.
It takes a dose of about 40 to 50 milligrams of venom to kill a healthy adult, and eastern diamondbacks carry five to 10 times that. The fangs can grow to a half-inch.
Bites, if untreated, are often fatal.
When the complex mixture of enzymes and proteins is injected into a human, it begins to break down muscle cells and damage blood vessels. Symptoms include extreme pain, swelling and shock, Shwedick said.
There is a treatment: antivenin. It's made by injecting venom into horses until the animals develop immunities. The serum taken from horses can save a life if the victim is treated in time.
About 20 minutes into the search, Anderson found Parker with another man. (The man's identity could not be confirmed Saturday night.) Parker was in shock. He could speak, but was losing consciousness.
Anderson and the others grabbed Parker and started the hike to the road.
"You'd take 50 steps and not know which was north, south, east or west," Anderson said.
One of the men left to flag other rescuers, leaving two to carry the deputy. Parker's friend tired so Anderson lifted Parker onto his shoulders. He walked what seemed like miles before he broke out of the woods.
Others helped load Parker into the bed of a pickup and drove him toward a small clearing where the helicopter from Tampa General Hospital touched down minutes before.
Paramedics administered the antivenin, put Parker aboard and took off.
By Saturday evening, Parker was listed in serious condition at Tampa General. His vital signs were showing improvement, his wife said. She said Parker was hiking in the woods with friends because he loves nature.
"He's a great guy," Courtney Parker said. "He's honorable and kind and generous and he's just the best."
Anderson didn't know until later that the man he carried out of the woods was a deputy.
"We are very, very lucky," Anderson said. "In these situations, every minute counts."
After fanged greeting, a footrace against time

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