TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas — A person is expected to be OK after being bit by a snake late Saturday morning.
Austin-Travis County EMS responded to a call reporting the bit just after 11:30 a.m. at Reimers Ranch Park. ATCEMS and STAR Flight responded to the call.
ATCEMS said just before noon that the person who was bit had made it to the trailhead. STAR Flight then left the scene and the person was taken to Baylor Scott & White Lakeway by ambulance.
The bite was not expected to be life-threatening, officials said.
With temperatures on the rise and wildlife becoming increasingly active, one expert said remaining calm is the most important thing you can do in these situations.
"If you are bitten, the first thing you want to do is call 911. So in one while they're calling, I want to make sure you're staying still and you're keeping your heart rate down," Payton Bowyer with St. David's South Austin Medical Center said. "Just because that movement, if you are moving around too much, that's going to accelerate the circulation of your blood through your body, which is going to circulate the venom."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has tips to follow if you or someone else is bitten by a snake:
- If you or someone you know are bitten, try to see and remember the color and shape of the snake, which can help with treatment of the snake bite
- Keep the bitten person still and calm. This can slow down the spread of venom if the snake is venomous
- Seek medical attention as soon as possible
- Dial 911 or call local EMS
- Apply first aid if you cannot get the person to the hospital right away
- Lay or sit the person down with the bite below the level of the heart
- Tell him/her to stay calm and still
- Wash the wound with warm soapy water immediately
- Cover the bite with a clean, dry dressing
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