A man bitten by a rattlesnake earlier this month has recovered from his injuries, and thanked Polk County Fire Rescue last week for saving his life.
- Jerome Roddenberry bit on April 9
- Roddenberry thought the snake was already dead
- Received 32 vials of antivenin to counteract snake bite
“If it wasn’t for them, I probably wouldn’t be talking today,” said Jerome Roddenberry. “They’re the ones who kept me going until I got to the hospital. So, I just want to thank them very much.”
Roddenberry shook the hands of those Polk County Fire Rescue members in person on Friday. The incident happened on April 9, when a five-and-a-half-foot rattlesnake was shot by someone near Roddenberry’s camp.
“We went out there to see why somebody was shooting guns,” he said. “Come to find out there was a snake in the road that they shot.”
Roddenberry said the rattlesnake appeared to be dead and he decided to handle it.
“I went over there and stepped on him and picked him up behind the head and brung (sic) him up to take a look at him,” said Roddenberry. “He actually turned to my hand and bit me. I had to actually pull him off my hand.”
Photos courtesy of Polk County Fire Rescue
Roddenberry told us he blacked out 30 seconds after being bit. His next memory was waking up at Osceola Regional Medical Center, where he received 32 vials of antivenin.
The Polk County man credits the firefighters quick response for getting him the life-saving help that he needed.
“They’re the ones that saved my life,” he said.