KANE — It’s a terrifying part of rural living, encountering wildlife that don’t want you around.
An 11-year-old boy had the misfortune of being bitten by a timber rattlesnake Sunday evening near the old elementary school in Kane. Reports indicate the child was rushed to UPMC Kane, which had antivenom, and then taken by medical helicopter to Pittsburgh. He came through the incident in good shape.
His father, Chris Haight, posted on social media about the incident, explaining his son was in the wooded area between Chestnut Street and Hemlock Avenue when he was bit. He added that his son is doing well.
Haight did not immediately return a message seeking further comment.
Fred Tarnaski, referred to as The Snake Man, is an educator who monitors timber rattlesnakes. And lives in Kane. He and others who know what they’re doing have been searching for the snake since Sunday.
On Monday, he posted on social media that it isn’t normal to have timber rattlers in town, but said they’ve always been around. “You live in the (Allegheny National Forest). Rattlesnakes have been a part of our lives whether you knew it or not.”
Tarnaski commended Haight for staying calm, not overreacting and taking the right steps to get the boy treated.
“The parents and the Kane Hospital did exactly everything right and because of that, he’s doing good!”
As of Tuesday afternoon, the snake had not been found.
“We have traps set up to check throughout the week,” he said. “By traps I mean things the snake can go under for warmth and shelter but easily accessible to catch it if it decides to use them.”
He thanked the community members who have been bringing food and drink.
“For those of you that don’t know, the little boy who was bit is a tough kid! He’s home and even came to visit while we were searching. No, we didn’t let him join the search but he would have,” Tarnaski said Tuesday.
He categorized the boy’s bite as very mild.
“The snake, given bite radius, was definitely a large pit viper. The only option we have for that is the timber rattlesnake,” he said. “That’s why even without seeing it I’m very confident in what it was. There’s nothing else here that it could have been.
“Between that and the excellent response his body had to the Anavip (the antivenom brand used) it wasn’t from a foreign escaped pet or anything like that,” the Snake Man added. “That kid was extremely lucky it was a very mild bite.
“The snake really wasn’t looking to do damage, it struck out of fear,” he said.
He asked community members to be vigilant and to let searchers know if the snake is spotted, but cautioned people not to go looking for it. “I don’t want anyone else getting hurt.”
