Darwin Award in Darwin 
2003 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance
A Darwin man tells how he was bitten 9 times by a king brown snake one of the worlds most deadly reptiles.
Gordon Lyons died 3 times on the operating table had his left arm amputated and spent 7 weeks in a coma on dialysis and a ventilator after the snake bit him.
He is still wheelchair bound and has not regained full use of his legs.
r Lyons admitted he was a "Bit drunk" when he picked up the snake He and a mate had been driving from Mandorah to Darwin when they spotted the snake. "I remember the guys wanted something to put in a huge empty fish tank in the Mandorah Pub"
"But I made the stupid mistake of grabbing it with my left hand because I was holding my beer in my right hand. Its fangs were that big they ripped my hand open"
"I tore it off me and put it in a plastic bag in the back of the car then for some stupid reason I stuck my hand back in the bag. It must have been angry because it bit me another 8 times"
r Lyons collapsed vomiting and suffering diarrhoea about 3 seconds later.
" my mate kept me awake by hitting me and throwing beer over me while he drove me to the Noonamah Hotel.
"My last memory was getting into an ambulance covered in vomit beer and blood"
Taken to the Royal Darwin Hospital he was treated by Bart Currie Specialist Physician "the venom had caused severe damage to nerves and muscle his left arm was black and dead by the time he arrived at the hospital" he said
"Of all the snakebites in Australia I'm aware of he is the sickest man to have ever survived"
r Lyons said " I've lost an arm but I'm lucky to be alive
Note
This story proves that they do things differently in the Northern territory
That to win a Darwin award you need determination
(Not only did Gordon pick up a deadly snake with his left hand while drunk he went back and put his hand in the bag for a second attempt)
He only failed in his attempt because of the specialist intervention of the Darwin hospital, the NT Ambulance Service and his mate driving hitting and throwing beer!
No reports on the snake are available.
Photo of Gordon Lyons Semi armless & in wheelchair available.
Submitted on 06/08/2003
Submitted by:
Doug Steley
Reference:
aria Billas Darwin news NT Au
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