List of fatal snake bites in the United States
This is a list of some people who received a fatal snake bite in the United States by decade in reverse chronological order. There is no evidence it is a comprehensive list.
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Snake species
The United States has about 21 species of venomous snakes, which include 16 species of rattlesnakes, two species of coral snakes, 1 species of cottonmouth (or water moccasin), and two species of copperhead. At least one species of venomous snake is found in every state except Hawaii [4] and Alaska.
It has been estimated that 7,000–8,000 people per year receive venomous snake bites in the United States, and about five of those people die.[5] Most fatal bites are attributed to the eastern diamondback rattlesnake and the western diamondback rattlesnake. The copperhead accounts for more cases of venomous snake bite than any other North American species; however, its venom is the least toxic, so its bite is seldom fatal.[6]
Venomous snakes are distributed unevenly throughout the United States — the vast majority of snake bites occur in warm weather states. States like Florida and Texas have a wide variety and large population of venomous snakes. Bites from venomous snakes are extremely rare in the states near the Canada–US border. Maine, for example, has only one species (timber rattlesnake); it is rarely seen, and then only in the southern part of the state, but the species is likely extirpated in Maine, with the last sighting in 1901.[7]
21st century
2010s
| Name, age, gender | Date | Species | Location, comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Priscilla Meridith, 62, female | June 12, 2019 | Timber Rattlesnake | Waverly, Georgia ; Meridith was bit by a Timber Rattlesnake in a friend's garden on May 17th when she went to sit down. She was in a medically-induced coma for several weeks until her death on June 12th. Meridith was not given antivenom due to allergies. |
| Oliver "Chum" Baker, 52, male | May 25, 2019 | Copperhead | Winston County, Alabama. Baker was at his home near Lewis Smith Lake when he was bitten by a copperhead snake and lost consciousness within 2 minutes. CPR was performed and he was taken to a local hospital in critical condition. Baker was later airlifted to Huntsville Hospital, where he died on May 27.[8][9] |
| Lawrence Walters, 70, male | June 4, 2018 | Rattlesnake | Spearfish, Lawrence County, South Dakota. Walters was playing golf at the Elkhorn Ridge Golf Course in Spearfish. He was looking for a ball in tall grass when he was bitten on the ankle. He was rushed back to the clubhouse in a cart where another employee performed CPR until an ambulance arrived, but was pronounced dead at Spearfish hospital.[10] |
| Barry Lester, 57, male | April 29, 2018 | Rattlesnake | Osage County, Oklahoma, Lester was driving down a road when he spotted the rattlesnake, he tried to move it to safety but ended up being bitten on both hands, Lester collapsed shortly after and was pronounced dead.[11] |
| Daniel Hohs, 31, male | October 7, 2017 | Rattlesnake | Hohs was bitten on the ankle while hiking near Golden, Colorado.[12] |
| Wayne Grooms, 71, male | June 12, 2016 | Rattlesnake (likely timber rattlesnake) | Grooms was in the Santee National Wildlife Refuge in South Carolina when a rattlesnake bit his lower left leg.[13] He collapsed and died within 15 minutes. He may have had an undisclosed condition which contributed to the severity of his reaction to the bite.[14] Timber rattlesnakes are the most common in this refuge, but eastern diamondback rattlesnakes are adaptable, could potentially be found in this refuge, and are more likely to cause serious bites than timbers, due to their disposition and venomous potential.[15] |
| John David Brock, 60, male | July 28, 2015 | Unknown (almost certainly timber rattlesnake) | Brock was bitten during a religious service at a Pentecostal Church in Jenson, Kentucky. He refused treatment and died in his brother's home.[16] |
| Russell E. Davis, 39, male | July 19, 2015 | Timber rattlesnake | Davis was sitting by a fire at his family's camp in Elk County, Pennsylvania when he was bitten by a rattlesnake. He was taken to a hospital and from there airlifted to a Pittsburgh-area hospital. While in the helicopter, Davis suffered a cardiac arrest and was subsequently pronounced dead upon arrival to the hospital. The cause of death was an anaphylactic reaction from the snake's venom. No autopsy was performed and the death was ruled accidental.[17] |
| Grant Thompson, 18, male | July 14, 2015 | Monocled cobra | Thompson was found unresponsive in his car in a Lowe's store parking lot in North Austin, Texas. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. A monocled cobra that he was known to own was missing and was later found dead nearby, having been run over by a car [18] An autopsy was performed and Thompson's death was ruled a suicide.[19] |
| Gilbert De Leon, 37, male | May 23, 2015 | Cottonmouth | De Leon was bitten on each leg while wading in the James River near Nixa, Missouri. After the bite, he did not seek medical attention and died the next day. The county coroner stated the cause of death listed on the death certificate states "Undetermined" because De Leon also had a lethal level of the narcotic oxycodone in his system, along with alcohol, and non-lethal level of hydrocodone in his system.[20] |
| David Giles, 59, male | May 20, 2015 | Unknown, but likely rattlesnake | Giles, of Watkinsville, Georgia, was bitten while he was alone in Arnoldsville, Georgia. He normally carried a snakebite kit, but did not have it with him this time. He drove to a nearby house to seek help, and collapsed. A timber rattlesnake would have been the normal suspect, but since he was weakened by Lyme disease it could have been a pygmy, cottonmouth, or copperhead.[21] |
| Timothy Levins, 52, male | July 8, 2014 | Copperhead | While camping at Sam A. Baker State Park in Missouri, Levins walked outside, saw a snake, and brought it to his son's attention. When he picked it up, the snake bit him. Levins walked back into the cabin, washed his hand at the kitchen sink and sat down on the couch. When he became sick, someone from a neighboring cabin came over to help and performed CPR. Levins was later pronounced dead at an area hospital.[22] |
| Brayden Bullard, 4, male | June 20, 2014 | Timber rattlesnake | Bitten while planting watermelons in his backyard in Bryceville, Florida.[23] He was rushed to the hospital, but died 2 weeks later[24] |
| Jamie Coots, 42, male | February 15, 2014 | Rattlesnake | Coots was bitten on the right hand during a service at his Full Gospel Tabernacle in Jesus Name church in Middlesboro, Kentucky. After the bite, Coots dropped the snakes, but then picked them back up and continued the ceremony. Later, he was driven to his home. When paramedics arrived, his relatives refused medical treatment for him, saying it was inconsistent with his religion. He died at home. |
| Daniel Frank Mitchell, 53, male | September 20, 2013 | Rattlesnake (probably eastern diamondback, but possibly timber) | Salem, Alabama[25] |
| Ernest Burch, 80, male | July 2, 2013[26] | Timber rattlesnake | Burch found the snake in his garage in Armuchee, Georgia. Not wanting to kill it, he tried moving it out with a broom but lost his balance, fell on top of the snake, and was bitten on his left arm. He was rushed to the hospital and received eight vials of antivenom, but died 30 hours later.[27] |
| Jack Redmond, 70, male | October 2, 2012 | Unknown | He was likely killed by one of the 24 venomous snakes he kept in his home in Chesterfield, Virginia.[28] |
| Terry Brown, 50, male | July 2012 | Copperhead | Brown died of a heart attack one day after he was bitten by a copperhead snake while camping on the Current River, Missouri. The coroner's office listed the cause of death as a heart attack, with the snake bite as a contributing factor. Witnesses told investigators that Brown had seen a snake in one of the tents and was trying to remove it when the snake bit him on the right thumb.[29] |
| Mark Randall Wolford, 44, male | May 28, 2012 | Timber rattlesnake | Wolford was bitten on the thigh while handling a timber rattlesnake as part of an outdoor religious service at Panther State Forest in McDowell County, West Virginia.[30][31] Wolford did not initially seek medical treatment for his injury, but was taken to Bluefield Regional Medical Center when his condition began to deteriorate some eight hours later.[30] Wolford was a pastor and often handled his pet snake during church services.[30] Wolford's father, Mack Wolford, died in 1983 under similar circumstances.[32] |
| Aleta Stacy, 56, female | June 2011 | presumably Black Mamba | Found dead in her home in Putnam Co., NY. She illegally kept numerous venomous snakes in her home, one of which was a Black Mamba.[33] |
| Mark Shaw, 47, male | April 5, 2011 | Rattlesnake (probably western diamondback, but possibly timber) | Shaw was bitten by a rattlesnake he was trying to kill in Bastrop County, Texas.[34] |
| Wade Westbrook, 26, male | January 29, 2011 | Copperhead | Westbrook was bitten just above the right elbow while handling a copperhead; he had been attempting to determine the snake's sex.[35] According to witnesses, he "tried to extract the venom with a tool after he was bitten, then he began coughing and vomiting before he collapsed."[36] Westbrook was pronounced dead on arrival at Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee.[36] The cause of death was determined to be "anaphylactic shock as a result of the snake bite." Westbrook had been bitten previously by a Copperhead, which may have made him hypersensitive to snake venom.[36] |
| William Price, 67, male | October 13, 2010 | Rattlesnake, probably a Southern Pacific rattlesnake | Price was bitten above the right ankle while wading across a stream near Cuyamaca Reservoir in Cuyamaca, California.[37] He had been taking part in a study of steelhead trout that was funded by a state Department of Fish and Game grant.[37] According to witnesses, Price "stopped breathing within minutes" of being bitten. The bite marks on his foot were reportedly an inch and a half across.[37] Price was airlifted to Palomar Medical Center, but later died. |
| Peyton Hood, 1, female | Aug. 11, 2010 | Western diamondback rattlesnake | Accidentally stepped on baby Western Diamondback while climbing down ladder at Possum Kingdom Lake, Texas. The snake struck her main artery.[38] She was rushed to the hospital, but died within a few hours.[39] |
| George Yancy, 35, male | May 9, 2010 | Rattlesnake (probably western diamondback, but possibly timber) | Yancy was bitten while pulling up his pants in Smithville, Texas.[34] |
2000s
| Name, age, gender | Date | Species | Location, comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Rupert, 68, male | October 10, 2009 | Timber rattlesnake | Rupert was hunting with his grandson in Oglethorpe County, Georgia.[40] |
| James David Bear, 37, male | January 29, 2008 | Timber rattlesnake | Bitten on his right thumb at his mobile house. The canebrake rattlesnake that bit him was one of 179 snakes he kept and bred in various containers and 84 of the snakes were venomous species.[41] |
| Jackie Ledwell, 63, female | October, 2007 | Mojave rattlesnake | Ledwell was bitten while taking a walk in Paulden, Arizona.[42] |
| Douglas John Hiler, 48, male | September 1, 2007 | Timber rattlesnake | Hiler was bitten on his left hand while attempting to cut off the rattles from what he thought was a dead snake that he came across in the road while driving near Cleveland, Georgia. Medical help was summoned immediately but took 45 minutes to arrive. He survived in intensive care for 42 days before succumbing to the effects. He was reportedly very allergic to bee stings and poison ivy. [43] |
| Linda Long, 48, female | November 5, 2006 | Rattlesnake | Long died after being bitten by a snake during a serpent-handling service at church.[44] |
| Inocencio Hernandez-Hernandez, 29, male | June 10, 2006 | Eastern coral snake | Hernandez-Hernandez became the first person to die in the United States from a fatal coral snake bite since 1967. He and Jesus Moreida, both of Bonita Springs, Florida, were bitten by a coral snake they tried to kill.[45] |
| Joe Guidry, 54, male | October 2005 | Eastern diamondback rattlesnake | Guidry, the Putnam County, Florida, fire marshal, went to help a neighbor who had spotted a rattlesnake while mowing grass. He shot at the snake; it went under a shed, and Guidry was bitten when he reached for it.[46] |
| Marcus Wolf, 35, male | September 12, 2005 | Rattlesnake | Wolf, a German tourist, was bitten while hiking near Willcox, Arizona.[47] |
| Margaret Wilson White, 54, female | July 2005 | Rattlesnake | White was bitten in Hays County, Texas, near Wimberley along Ranch Road 12, about a quarter mile west of County Road 213.[48][49][50] |
| Alexandria Hall, 44, female | September 6, 2004 | Urutu pit viper | Bitten at her home and died two days later from a bleed in the brain.[51][52] |
| Trent Leprette, 31, male | June 20, 2004 | Copperhead | Leprette was bitten on each hand while swimming in Saugahatchee Creek near Loachapoka, Alabama on June 16, 2004. He was admitted to East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika; he developed complications and died after several days of treatment.[53] |
| Ross Cooke, 50, male | May 2003 | Southern Pacific rattlesnake | Cooke was killed in Lyle Creek, San Bernardino County, California, having stepped on a snake he mistook for a log.[54] |
| Pat Hughes, 45, male | August 2002 | Rattlesnake | Hughes was bitten on the finger by a small snake in his own garage. He was admitted to Sierra Vista Regional Health Center in Sierra Vista, Arizona, and treated with antivenom, but died of "complications associated with the bite".[55] |
| Derek Lema, 2, male | September 16, 2000 | Eastern diamondback rattlesnake | Lema was bitten in the thigh by a rattlesnake while helping his father, Victor Lema, in their Lakewood Ranch, Florida, backyard.[56] |
1990s
| Name, age, gender | Date | Species | Location, comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anita Finch, 33, female | Reported December 17, 1999 | Gaboon viper or hog-nosed sand viper | Finch was bitten by either of these snakes she kept as pets in her Van Nuys, California home.[57] |
| John Wayne "Punkin" Brown, Jr., 34, male | October 3, 1998 | Rattlesnake | Brown was bitten while handling rattlesnake during a religious service in Macedonia, Alabama. He had reportedly survived 22 previous snake bites. Brown's wife, Melinda, had been killed by a snake during a religious service three years earlier, in August 1995. The Browns left five children orphaned. [58] |
| Daril Ray Collins, 23, male | December 14, 1997 | Probably rattlesnake | Collins was bitten during a religious service in the community of Arjay, Bell County, Kentucky.[59][60][61] |
| Dewey Bruce Hale, 40, male | January 15, 1995 | Rattlesnake | Hale was bitten on the hand while removing a rattlesnake from a box during a religious service in Enigma, Georgia. [62] |
| Melinda Brown, 28, female | August 8, 1995 | Rattlesnake | Brown was bitten while handling a snake during a religious service in Middlesboro, Kentucky on August 6, 1995. She died two days later. Brown's husband, Dewey "Punkin" Brown, was killed by snake during a religious service in 1998. [63] |
| Kale Saylor, 77, male | March 8, 1995 | Rattlesnake | Saylor, a Pentecostal preacher, was bitten while handling a rattlesnake during a religious service in Bell County, Kentucky. Saylor figured prominently in David Kimbrough's 2002 book, Taking Up Serpents: Snake Handlers of Eastern Kentucky [64] |
| Brian Leslie West, 25, male | May 29, 1992 | Indian cobra | Mr. West, who resided in Emmitsburg, Maryland, had a state permit to keep more than two dozen snakes. He was tending an Indian Cobra in his basement when the snake bit him on the foot. Five minutes later he went into cardiac arrest and never awoke. He was pronounced dead an hour later at Frederick Memorial Hospital.[65][66] |
1980s
| Name, age, gender | Date | Species | Location, comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult male | 1980s | Rattlesnake | A single fatal rattlesnake bite was reported in Utah during this decade. |
| Curtis Davison, 22, male | August 19, 1989 | Eastern diamondback rattlesnake | Davison was bitten on the top of his right hand as he transferred a six-foot rattlesnake from one cage to another at Silver Springs Nature Park near Ocala, Florida.[67] |
| Glenn R. Alexander, 29, male | March 25, 1987 | Rattlesnake | Alexander was bitten during the 23rd Annual Brownwood Rattlesnake Roundup in Brownwood, Texas, on March 21, 1987, and died four days later.[68] |
| Mack Ray Wolford, 39, male | August 28, 1983 | Timber rattlesnake | Wolford was bitten on the arm by a timber rattlesnake during religious services at the Lord Jesus Temple in Mile Branch, near Iaeger, West Virginia.[32] Wolford did not initially seek medical treatment.[69] An ambulance was summoned eight hours after Wolford had been bitten, but he died during transport to Stevens Clinic in Welch, West Virginia.[32] Wolford's son, Mark Wolford, died in 2012 under similar circumstances.[30] |
| John Holbrook, 38, male | August 1982 | Rattlesnake | Reverend Holbrook was bitten while handling a rattlesnake during religious services in Oceana, West Virginia.[32][70] Holbrook reportedly refused medical assistance because his religion did not permit it.[32][70] |
1970s
| Name, age, gender | Date | Species | Location, comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gregory Lee Hall, 3, male | May 31, 1976 | Copperhead | Bitten on the right hand by a copperhead he picked while playing near his home in Jacksonville, Alabama, on May 31, 1976.[71] |
| Curtis Mounts, 61, male | May 19, 1974 | Rattlesnake | Mounts was bitten on the right arm while handling a snake during a religious service in Bens Run, West Virginia, on May 16, 1974. He died three days later.[72] |
| Richard Lee Williams, 33, male | April 2, 1974 | Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake | Rev. Williams, of Columbus, Ohio, was bitten while handling a snake during a religious service in Switzer, West Virginia, on April 4, 1974.[73] |
| Gordon D. Ball, 34, male | August 5, 1973 | Rattlesnake | Ball was presumably bitten by a snake, possibly a massasauga, while traveling alone through Bergen-Byron Swamp on a "picture-taking expedition".[74] A five-day police search recovered Ball's body from a small clearing "near Warboys Road, on the swamp's northern perimeter."[74] An autopsy report listed snakebite as the presumptive cause of death.[74][75] |
| Beulah Bucklen, 59, female | September 24, 1972 | Rattlesnake | Bucklen, of Charleston, West Virginia, was bitten while handling a snake during a religious service in Fraziers Bottom, West Virginia on September 16, 1972. She died eight days later.[76] |
| Susan Mary Gaboury, 34, female | September 13, 1972 | Probably an Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake | While driving near St. Augustine, Florida, Gaboury had stopped to relieve herself in the bushes beside the road. Thinking she had been pricked by a spiny plant, possibly the Spanish bayonet, she went to the emergency room, where she was treated for an allergic reaction and released. She returned home and was found dead the next morning. A snake expert determined from the size of the bite that Gaboury had likely been bitten by a diamondback rattler.[77] |
| Bryan L. Bristow, 28, male | December 29, 1971 | Cottonmouth | Bristow had been collecting snakes in a bag when he was bitten on the hand by a cottonmouth moccasin in Garyville, Louisiana, on December 29, 1971.[78] |
1960s
| Name, age, gender | Date | Species | Location, comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Saylor, 24, male | February 20, 1967 | Rattlesnake | Bitten while handling a rattlesnake during a religious service in Covington, Kentucky, on February 19, 1967. [79] |
| Wesley Howard Dickinson, 45, male | July 10, 1966 | King cobra | An experienced herpetologist, Dickinson was bitten while force-feeding an 8-foot Indian king cobra in Santa Ana, California, on July 10, 1966. Dickinson had previously survived bites from other cobras, rattlesnakes, a water moccasin and a Gila monster. [80] |
| Frederick A. Shannon, 43, male | August 31, 1965 | Mojave rattlesnake | Bitten on a finger of his left hand by Mojave rattlesnake while collecting specimens near Klondyke, Arizona, on August 29, 1965. Shannon was one of the foremost American herpetologists, a physician and an expert on snakebite, having coauthored a manual for the U.S. armed services. He died on August 31, 1965, after being airlifted to a hospital in Los Angeles.[81] |
| Donald Bebis, 1, male | August 4, 1965 | Rattlesnake | 15-month-old Don Bebis was playing in the yard at his home in Cat Creek, Montana, when he was bitten on both legs on August 4, 1965.[82] |
| Jerry de Bary, 37, male | January 27, 1964 | African puff adder | De Bary, the director of the Salt Lake City Zoo, was bitten on the left forearm by a South African puff adder when he opened the cage to tend to the animal.[83] |
| Columbia Gay Hagerman, 22, female | September 28, 1961 | Timber rattlesnake | Hagerman was bitten on the right thumb during her first snake handling at a church service in Jolo, West Virginia. She declined medical assistance and died at her parents' home. Her parents had previously been bitten several times by copperheads and rattlesnakes, recovering each time without seeking treatment. |
| Jimmy Cornell, 14, male | March 15, 1961 | Eastern diamondback rattlesnake | Bitten on the hand by diamondback rattler while reaching into a gopher hole in Fort Myers, Florida, on March 11, 1961. He died four days later.[84] |
1950s
| Name, age, gender | Date | Species | Location, comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| David P. Henson, 74, male | July 26, 1959 | Rattlesnake | Rev. Henson, described as an "elderly minister" in the Free Holiness Church, was bitten on the hand while handling a rattlesnake during a religious service in Robinwood, Alabama. Relatives report that he had been handling snakes for "more than 30 years" and that he had survived several bites during that time.[85] |
| Karl P. Schmidt, 67, male | September 26, 1957 | Boomslang | Schmidt, a renowned herpetologist, died in Chicago while documenting the effects of a venomous bite of a snake he was trying to identify. The snake was later identified as a juvenile African boomslang.[86] |
| Anna Marie Yost, 46, female | August 29, 1955 | Rattlesnake | Bitten on the arm while handling a rattlesnake during a religious service in Savannah, Tennessee, on August 29, 1955. Her brother, Mansel Covington, a well-known snake handler, was bitten on both hands during the same service but survived. The event is recounted in writer Dennis Covington's 1995 book, Salvation on Sand Mountain.[87] |
| George Went Hensley, 74, male | July 25, 1955 | Unknown | Hensley died from a bite sustained while handling snakes during a religious service in Florida. |
| Frieda Hoxter, 25, female | March 6, 1955 | Cobra | A German immigrant to the U.S., performing as "Princess Naja" at a night club in Baltimore, Maryland, was bitten by one of two cobras she used in her performance. She died at St. Joseph's Hospital, where she had been hospitalized previously for earlier snakebites.[88][89] |
| Karen Perry, 1, female | June 26, 1953 | Rattlesnake | 15-month-old Perry was playing in the backyard of her home in Tujunga, California, when she was bitten on the hand by a "pencil thin", 18-inch long rattlesnake. [90] |
| Nathaniel Akins, 25, male | August 18, 1951 | Rattlesnake | Bitten by a "giant rattlesnake" while cutting pulpwood alongside the Orlando Highway in Kissimmee, Florida, on Augusta 18, 1951.[91] |
| Ruthie Craig, 50, female | July 15, 1951 | Rattlesnake | Bitten on the right forearm while handling a rattlesnake during a religious service in New Hope, Alabama, on July 15, 1951.[92] |
1940s
| Name, age, gender | Date | Species | Location, comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Padgett, 26, male | September 2, 1949 | Rattlesnake | Bitten below the left knee while cutting trees near Maxville, Florida on September 2, 1949[93] |
| Grace Olive Wiley, 64, female | July 20, 1948 | Indian cobra | Wiley, an experienced herpetologist, who was known as the "Queen of the Cobras" for her work in the movie industry, was posing for a photograph with a juvenile cobra when she was bitten after a flashbulb startled the snake. Cypress, California [94] |
| Mrs. Floyd Butterbaugh, 22, Female | July 18, 1947 | Timber rattlesnake | Mrs. Butterbaugh was bitten by a timber rattler at her home on Piney Creek, 12 miles east of Chillicothe, Ohio near the Tar Hollow State Forest. She was picking beans in her garden when she was bitten. She died the next day. This is the last known fatality from a wild snake bite in the state of Ohio.[95] |
| Jerry Frier, 7, male | June 22, 1943 | Rattlesnake | Frier died from rattlesnake bite in Lafayette County, Florida.[96] |
| Dorothy Louise Key, 8, female | May 1, 1942 | Rattlesnake | Bitten while walking in woods near her home in Bradenton, Florida[97] |
| Mahel Coffey, 10, female | July 21, 1941 | Rattlesnake | Bitten by a rattlesnake while picking berries near her home in Lenoir, North Carolina [98] |
| John Charles Goss, 2, male | June 23, 1941 | Rattlesnake | Bitten beneath the right knee while at a picnic near the city reservoir alongside the Willow Creek Highway in Bradford, Pennsylvania[99] |
| Reba Ann Cooper, 2, female | April 28, 1940 | Rattlesnake | The daughter of a rancher, Cooper was bitten by a rattlesnake on a ranch near Rocksprings, Texas. [100] |
1930s
| Name, age, gender | Date | Species | Location, comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul D. Emerson, 50, male | September 17, 1937 | Rattle Snake | Dr. Emerson, a nationally known soil expert, was found dead on a trail eight miles west of Rapid City, South Dakota. Bitten on the left leg by a snake, Dr. Emerson had applied a tourniquet below the knee and made an incision over the wound with razor blade before he died. [101] |
| Marshal Ray Weddle, 5, male | July 24, 1937 | Rattlesnake | Bitten while playing near his home in Riggins, Idaho.[102] |
| B.T. Walley, 34, male | July 21, 1937 | Rattlesnake | Bitten while walking near Laurel, Mississippi.[103] |
| Alfred Weaver, 35, male | May 4, 1936 | Rattlesnake | Weaver, a 35-year-old itinerant was bitten on the hand by a rattlesnake during a "faith" demonstration at a revival service in Bartow, Florida on May 3, 1936. He died the next day after refusing medical treatment.[104] |
| Jess Correll, 28, male | July 24, 1931 | Copperhead | A farmer, Correll was bitten on the hand, while in the hay loft of his barn near Washington, Indiana.[105] |
1920s
| Name, age, gender | Date | Species | Location, comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilmer Hassinger, 15, male | June 15, 1929 | Rattlesnake | Bitten while fishing along Rattling Creek near Lykens, Pennsylvania.[106] |
| Maggie Collins, 33, female | May 29, 1929 | Rattlesnake | Collins died from a rattlesnake bite while picking blackberries in Grady County, Georgia. |
| Rebecca Nimmons, 19, female | July 1928 | Rattlesnake | Nimmons was killed by a rattlesnake in Pickens County, South Carolina. |
| Jane Lancaster, 66, female | August 21, 1921 | Probably a timber rattlesnake | The bite occurred in Franklin Township at Snake Hollow, near the present-day Scioto Trails State Forest, southeast of Chillicothe, Ohio, in Ross County. An article in the Chillicothe Gazette explained that it could not be confirmed whether the bite Lancaster suffered was from a copperhead or rattlesnake. Given the severity of her wounds, it was likely a timber rattlesnake.[107] |
1910s
| Name, age, gender | Date | Species | Location, comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gustav A. Link, 51, male | August 15, 1917 | Timber rattlesnake | Link was showing his pet timber rattlesnake to a group of University of Pittsburgh students in the taxidermy lab of Carnegie Museum. While putting the snake back into its cage, Link was bitten on his right index finger. Link was admitted to Mercy Hospital and treated. Herpetologist Raymond Ditmars sent antivenom from New York by train in the custody of a Pullman porter. Antivenom was administered 12 hours after the bite, but Link died 15 hours after the bite.[108][109] |
| Helen Moomey, 4, female | September 23, 1915 | Rattlesnake | Moomey died from a rattlesnake bite she received while playing with friends near her house in Billings County, North Dakota.[110] The prairie rattlesnake is the only venomous snake in North Dakota. |
| Two Wilson children | June 1913 | Prairie rattlesnake | The children were bitten and died while their family was sleeping on the North Dakota prairie. |
| Frank Stankiewicz, 57, male | July 9, 1910 | Rattlesnake | Stankiewicz, a Lithuanian immigrant, trapped a rattlesnake while fishing near Nanticoke, Pennsylvania. When he attempted to pull off the rattles, the snake escaped and bit him twice.[111] |
1900s
| Name, age, gender | Date | Species | Location, comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Bull, 12, female | July 9, 1907 | Rattlesnake | Bull died from a rattlesnake bite in Shenandoah County, Virginia. The timber rattlesnake is the only species of rattlesnake in this region. |
| Frank Benham, 2, male | September 25, 1903 | Prairie rattlesnake | Benham died from a rattlesnake bite in Adams County, Colorado, 17 miles north of Deer Trail. |
| Edward Comstock, 39, male | September 25, 1900 | Rattlesnake | Comstock died as result of a bite from a rattlesnake during a snake handling exhibition on Water Street in Chillicothe, Ohio. A newspaper article read: "Edward Comstock, manager of a snake show, was bitten by a rattlesnake at Chilll- cothe, O., last week and died, in terrible agony. His hand and arm swelled to an enormous size. Every known antidote was tried without avail. He was changing the snakes and put his hand into a box, when the rattler bit him. He had handled snakes for years."[112] |
18th and 19th century
| Name, age, gender | Date | Species | Location, comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belinda Rourke, 6, female | June 1891 | Rattlesnake | Rourke died from a bite while playing near a pile of rocks near the family's ranch in the Purgatory River Valley of southern Colorado. The child survived for a day after the bite. |
| Rebecca O. Andrews, approximately 28, female | c. 1890 | Rattlesnake | Andrews died from a rattlesnake bite in Kansas. |
| James Ananias Brannon, 2, male | July 1882 | Rattlesnake | Brannon died from a rattlesnake bite received while lying on a blanket in Texas. |
| George Sides, 6, male | May 30, 1873 | Rattlesnake | Sides died in Texas of a rattlesnake bite. |
| Frederick Louis Niemann, male | 1873 | Rattlesnake | Niemann died in Saline County, Kansas, from a rattlesnake bite. |
| William A. Perrin, male | 1859 | Rattlesnake | Perrin was killed by a rattlesnake at Stribling Springs in Augusta County, Virginia. The timber rattlesnake is the only rattlesnake in the state. |
| Maggie Lee, female | October 24, 1854 | Rattlesnake | She was the first child to die of a snakebite in Parker County, Texas.[113] |
| H. M. Pettigrew, 31, male | August 15, 1841 | Rattlesnake | Pettigrew died from a rattlesnake bite while clearing land in Fannin County, Texas.[114] |
| Richardson, infant son of Wm. & Ella | 1796 | Rattlesnake | Richardson Cemetery (Town of Springport, NY) [115] |
| Unknown person | 1791 | Timber rattlesnake | This was the last fatal snakebite in the state of Massachusetts.[116] |
| Child, 5 or 6 | August 28, 1790 | Rattlesnake | A child was bitten by a rattlesnake, and died the next day, in Hardwick, Massachusetts.[117] |
See also
Snakes:
- Snakebite
- Venomous snakes
- Snake handling
- Epidemiology of snakebites
Other animals:
- List of fatal bear attacks in North America
- List of fatal cougar attacks in North America
- List of fatal shark attacks in the United States
- List of fatal alligator attacks in the United States
- List of wolf attacks in North America
- Fatal dog attacks in the United States
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