California Man's Rattlesnake Selfie Goes Predictably Wrong

[RandySF]

A Lake Elsinore, California, man is recovering from a snake bite on his hand after a photo op gone wrong.

Alex Gomez, 36, found a 4-foot rattlesnake in a lot near his home Monday and decided to pick it up and take photos with it. He managed to snap a picture with the rattler around his neck, but when he tried to adjust it for a different pose it bit him on the thumb.

"I was going to take it off my neck and do something else with it, but it turned sideways, and it sunk its one tooth into my hand," Gomez told Los Angeles TV station KTLA in an interview from his sickbed.

Gomez dropped the snake and ran to a neighbor's house. He was rushed to a local hospital and received anti-venom treatment en route.

His mother said her son could have died over a "stupid" stunt.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/rattlesnake-selfie_55e1cd2ee4b0c818f6181a25

[Xipe Totec]

1. My dad beat the snot out of me for killing a rattlesnake.

Well.. actually for the way a killed it.

My dad spotted me dancing the cucaracha on the rattler's head while wearing sneakers.

Had not occurred to me that the fangs could go through soft rubber.

Oh well, I'm still here.

[hobbit709]

2. When I was young and dumb I did a lot of stupid things under the influence of many substances.

I never got into arguments with Sir Isaac and I never even thought of fucking with a rattlesnake.

[Coventina]

3. "I was willing to pose for 1 photo! ONE!"

[HappyPlace]

5. "I had it around my neck and then I was about to do something else with it when it turned..."

I think it he was going to play with it until something very bad happened.

Something bad happened sooner than he expected.

[Coventina]

6. Rattlesnakes are not known for their long-suffering.

I imagine being posed for multiple photos would not be one of their more tolerated activities.

What was he going to do next?

Put a little wig and bonnet on it?

[beam me up scottie]

20. Ikr? Doll clothes?

Snakes don't like being messed with.

[Coventina]

21. I can see it now: a little tea party.

"Would you like to pour, Mrs. Snake? No?"

"Well, do try one of my cucumber sandwiches, I made them fresh with cucumbers from the garden, but I imagine I don't have to tell you where they came from!"

[beam me up scottie]

22. What's that, Mrs. Snake?

You don't like what .... OW OW OW!

[Coventina]

24. LOL!

[Eleanors38]

4. Wait til his Momma gets the anti-venom bill. Whew!

[TheCowsCameHome]

10. The snake should get some treatment, too.

Who knows what that else that asshole might have been playing with.

[XemaSab]

7. There's a typo in this article; it says the guy was "36"

That's about 20 years too old to act like such a dumbass.

[procon]

26. That was the first thing I thought too.

I'm astounded he's lived as long as he has.

[femmocrat]

8. Like the moral to the old fable...

"You knew I was a snake when you picked me up."

[Blus4u]

9. True story bro' or sis' as the case may be...

I grew up in Panama and our next door neighbor was a vet. When he lived in California, he had declawed the bear for the movie "Old Yeller". While in Panama he always had several snakes coming or going at his home. He kept a six foot emerald green tree boa on a "y" shaped piece of driftwood suspended from the ceiling.

At one point he had a large (7 or 8 ft) female bush master (pit viper) which had just birthed a number of babies. He was holding the mother snake while his wife took pictures. At some point the snake was able to brush a fang across his thumb. It did not penetrate the skin but oozed venom out and across the thumb. He immediately began to lose it and rushed to the hospital. Being allergic to the anti-venom antidote, he toughed it out.

His thumb and arm turned black and the skin sloughed off of his hand. He spent about 3 weeks in the hospital and nearly died.

Moral of that story is you don't mess with poisonous snakes even if you know what you are doing!

Sorry for the length.
Peace

[femmocrat]

14. Wow!

Very foolish!

[Travis_0004]

27. Somebody allergic to anti venom should find a new hobby

Im also amazed when people keep non native venomous snakes, get bit, then act suprised when the hospital doesnt carry the correct anti venom.

Sometimes they get lucky if a local zoo has it, but a lot of the time there is very little they can do.

[LiberalElite]

11. Momma didn''t raise her son to be an idiot -

nice try, Ma.

[hifiguy]

12. Pick up a rattler and put it around your own neck.

Yeah, that's a good idea, Einstein.

[malaise]

13. Oops

Almost a Darwin award.

[beam me up scottie]

15. If it had bitten him on the neck he would have won a Darwin award.

[Coventina]

16. Depends on whether he's had kids or not.

The article doesn't tell us.

He might have just been a nominee, if he's already reproduced.....

[beam me up scottie]

17. True.

I love snakes but playing with the poisonous ones is beyond stupid.

My last encounter was when a water moccasin tried to crawl into my kayak with me.

I had to use my paddle to fling him away - three times.

[Coventina]

18. S/he must have sensed your love!

I love snakes too, but like you, that love includes respect.

[beam me up scottie]

19. A healthy dose of it!

[LWolf]

23. "Stupid" should not be in quotes.

As someone who lived in the Mojave for 3 decades, I'm simply shocked and awed by the stupid here. So much so, that "stupid" doesn't quite cut it. I need stronger words.

witless, imbecilic...the list could go on and on.

[lonestarnot]

25. Reminds me of mudflap supporters.