Man, grandson recover after vicious I-35 crash destroys snake equipment

Equipment worth thousands of dollars needs replacing

SAN ANTONIO – Almost a week after a vicious crash on Interstate 35 let 35 snakes and two reptiles on the loose, a local reptile expert is still in the hospital and his ability to share his passion is in danger as well.

Herpetologist Blaine Eaton, 68, is in the hospital with eight fractured ribs, a broken sternum, clavicle and a punctured lung.

Curtis Kuykendall, 9, fractured his wrist in the rollover last Thursday.

"There was broken shards of Plexiglas cages all over the place," said Curtis, who is Eaton's grandson. "Real lucky that nobody got bit."

With 50 appearances a year on the road, sharing a passion for reptiles and amphibians, they were on their way to a San Antonio elementary school summer camp when their tire blew out and the SUV rolled twice.

After the crash, they did recover a tortoise and a baby alligator, but 10 snakes are missing. One of them was venomous. A copperhead and Western Pygmy rattlesnake died in the wreck.

Eaton's car and 30 homemade cages were destroyed.

People have donated to help replace those things and there will be a fundraiser this weekend in Austin, but Eaton still needs thousands to rebuild.

All but three of Eaton's upcoming 26 lectures for 2017 were canceled. He plans to resume in January 2018.

"That's what's keeping him going. He wants to get back doing what he loves," said Kimberly Kuykendall, Eaton's daughter. "He loves educating people on reptiles and amphibians."