A Cobb County man recovering from a copperhead bite last Friday is already back at work.
Mitch Hattersley said that despite the nasty bite, he won't rule out cautiously handling another venomous snake, according to Channel 2 Action News.
“I'm not scared of snakes,” Hattersley said. “They don't shy me off at all."
The 22-year-old Acworth man was clearing brush and debris in Canton last week when the venomous snake bit him on the finger.
"It just barely snagged me,” Hattersley told Channel 2 Action News. He then tried to suck the venom out of his finger.
“I don't know if that's an old wives' tale or not," he said. "It's kind of instinct. And then I cut off the blood flow to my finger, until the EMS arrived.”
Health officials advise snake bite victims against attempting to extract the venom themselves.
Northside Cherokee Hospital doctors monitoring Hattersley decided against administering antivenom after the swelling did not move up his arm. Hattersley said the swelling was more painful than the bite.
“You could feel every heartbeat,” Hattersley said. “It's a lot of pounding in your finger. It definitely hurts.”
Copperhead bites, while rarely deadly, can cause a long-lasting injuries.
"If you see a snake, the best thing to do is to leave it alone. Don't try and pick it up," Tim Cavender, Cherokee County Fire Department spokesman, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
If bitten by a venomous snake, officials encourage people to call 911 and have emergency service personnel advise if hospital treatment is necessary.
"I would advise not to pick up a snake if you don't know what you're doing or if you can't even ID it," Hattersley said.
Spring and summer are popular seasons for snake activity, scientists say. Doctors advise people to familiarize themselves with potentially life-saving techniques for snake bites.
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