SAN ANTONIO – A Corpus Christi man is recovering after being bitten by a rattlesnake, despite the snake's head already being cut off.
Jennifer Sutcliffe said her husband was bitten when the two were doing weekend yard work, according to Kiii TV.
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Sutcliffe said her husband spotted the 4-foot rattlesnake and used a shovel to sever its head, but when he went to pick up the snake to dispose of it, he was bitten by the severed head.
Sutcliffe’s husband was HALO-flighted to the hospital, and doctors were unsure if he would pull through.
"A normal person who is going to get bit is going to get two to four doses of antivenom," Sutcliffe said to Kiii TV. "He had to have 26 doses."
"There are about 6,000 to 8,000 snake bites per year in the country, and 10-12 people die,” trauma surgeon Michael Halpert told Kiii TV.
If you’re bitten by a rattlesnake, don’t attempt to suck out the venom. Keep the bitten area below your heart and call 911 or head to the nearest emergency room.