A Colorado man is recovering after being bitten three times by a rattlesnake while spending the day with his family near Estes Park, an experience that pushed him into anaphylactic shock and required 18 vials of antivenom.
According to Michael Padilla, the incident happened during a mountain coaster ride in Estes Park to celebrate his grandson’s thirteenth birthday. The family chose to make a stop at what Padilla called a favorite roadside location along U.S. Highway 34 on the way home to Windsor, 9News reports.
Padilla said he felt something hit his leg as the family was crossing rocks beside a river.leg.”I stepped on a rock. I was looking at my next step,” he said. “Next thing I know I got hit from the back, like somebody punched me with a thorn.”
After about five minutes, his condition rapidly deteriorated.When Padilla’s symptoms worsened, the family dialed 911. He said that soon after getting into the ambulance, he went into anaphylactic shock.He had been bitten by the snake three times, according to medical personnel at the hospital.On and around his calf, the three bites caused six puncture wounds. Doctors ultimately treated Padilla with 18 vials of antivenom.
Padilla believes the rattlesnake was hidden under a rock that he never saw.After spending several days in the hospital, Padilla is now recuperating at home and is still having trouble moving about.
