I REALLY don't like snakes. Early run in with a water moccasin in W.VA who would not take no to getting in a row boat with my father and I and the loss of a good bird dog in PA. to a rattler, leaves me with a walk way around or shoot first attitude.
October 9, 2007
PRESCOTT, Ariz. -- A Paulden woman has died after being bitten by a rattlesnake over the weekend.
Yavapai County sheriff's spokeswoman Susan Quayle said the death is extremely rare but serves as a reminder that even with modern antivenin treatment, snakes can kill.
Quayle said 63-year-old Jackie Ledwell was outside Saturday when she was bitten on the foot, and was taken to Flagstaff Medical Center for treatment. She died the next day.
County Animal Control workers located the snake and killed it. They determined it was a Mohave rattlesnake, the deadliest of the species found in Arizona.
"The Mohave has the capability of carrying a neurotoxic property in its venom which makes it the deadliest snake in the state," said Dan Marchand of the Phoenix Herpetological Society.
"The venom will shut down your nervous system. So you'll have trouble breathing and then the rest of your bodily functions will stop," he said.
Roughly 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the U.S. each year, but fewer than 15 deaths are reported.
In Ledwell's case, the snake's deadly bite proved shocking to even those who remove snakes in the area.
Quayle said the public should be extra careful this time of year, because snakes are often found sunning themselves and can strike unsuspecting walkers.
