PALM CITY, Fla. (CBS12) — An eastern diamondback rattlesnake bit an unsuspecting Amazon delivery worker's leg Monday evening in Palm City.
According to the Martin County Sheriff's Office (MCSO), the employee was dropping a package off on a home's front porch in the Highland Reserve Community where the snake was coiled up and struck right above the woman's right knee. She is reportedly in "very serious" condition as of around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.
She immediately became ill, called out for help and was taken to a hospital, the sheriff's office said. CBS12 News has obtained 911 audio and body camera footage from the incident Tuesday.
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911 audio obtained from directly after the snake bite provides a highly detailed, second-by-second account of the woman's terrifying experience.
In the opening seconds of the call, the woman can be heard screaming out in pain, trying to find out the address of the home she was at.
"What just bit you?" the 911 operator asked.
"A snake!" the woman exclaimed.
The dispatcher tried calming the Amazon employee, reassuring her fire rescue will be on the way soon and asking her to stay on the phone.
She continued to wail out in pain, and the dispatcher asked where the snake was.
"It's still on the porch," she said.
"I went up to the door to drop off the package... bit me," the woman's words were incoherent at this part as she tried answering through agony.
The 911 operator asked what kind of snake bit the woman, but she was unsure and yelled it was "still making that noise." The homeowner of the Palm City residence could be heard on the call stating it was a rattlesnake.
The dispatcher reassured her once again help was currently on the way, to keep her breathing slow and the hospital would have antivenom ready for her.
About seven minutes into the 911 call, first responders arrived and rendered aid.
"Keep moving, keep moving, keep moving!" a first responder could be heard yelling at bystanders as EMS arrived.
Photos show a MCSO deputy catching the three-to-four foot snake directly outside the Palm City house's front door with a package right next to the reptile.
The eastern diamondback rattlesnake is among the heaviest venomous snakes in the Americas. Bites can be fatal to humans if left untreated for too long, causingserious tissue damage, extreme pain, swelling of the throat and severe organ damage.
This species of snake is very common to the area.