A family vacation almost turned tragic over the weekend when a 6-year-old boy was bit by a copperhead snake at Lake Burton in Rabun County.
Ford O’Neill was playing with rocks near some bushes when he unknowingly got too close to a hidden 2-foot-long snake, Channel 2 Action News reported.
"I didn’t know it, but the snake was inside the bush, and the snake popped out, and it bit me on the pinky (finger),” the child told Channel 2.
His parents, Andrew and Jennifer, said they were terrified and immediately called 911, the news station reported. He was airlifted to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston, where he received almost five times the usual amount of anti-venom to stop the swelling.
The normal amount is two bags, but he needed nine, Channel 2 reported.
Luckily, snakes are his favorite reptile, so his parents told Channel 2 he kept calm and knew what to do from books he had read.
"We said, ‘What do we do Ford?’” his father told Channel 2. “He said, ‘I gotta keep my hand below my heart. I have to slow my heart rate.’ He knew all the steps.”
The boy was able to leave CHOA on Tuesday, and he’s currently recovering at his home in Fulton County, Channel 2 reported. The whole experience hasn’t deterred him from keeping his snake-themed birthday party in a few weeks.
However, he did tell the news station he wants to limit his time outdoors to stay safe.’
“(I’m) never going outside again until it’s winter,” he said.
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