WPMI 15 (Mobile, Alabama) 21 June 04 Snake season strikes (Leeah Brennan)
Turnerville, Alabama: Scooter Coleman rushed to USA medical center from this store near Turnerville. He's in stable condition.
Store Clerk Carolyn Gibson says a rattle snake bit Coleman on Lambert Road. Coleman ran over the snake and went back to pick it up. The snake was still alive. Gibson says friends rushed Coleman to the store to meet the ambulance. "This is the first time I've ever been near somebody that was bit by a snake."
The snake was taken to the side of the building and killed with a shovel. Even though it was Gibson's first experience with a snake, neighbors like Oliver Smith say it's unlikely to be the last. "They're around a lot especially during summer time."
That worries Cathy Williams. "You got grandkids running around, it's scary they'll bite em in just a minute."
You need to get help just as fast.
First dial 9-1-1. Then wash the bite with soap and water and keep the bitten area lower than the heart.
And even though it's tempting to follow Smith and go after the snake, "hit em with anything we can find, a shovel, a rake, a vehicle, anything."
Experts say, if you can, Gibson's approach is much safer. "If I see a snake, I go in the opposite direction."
Snake season strikes