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2007 August Slush
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Dwarf in on stage accident.
When it turns out that the guy you
Man struck, killed by train in Melb
"I can do that!"
S.F. rookie cop who shot himself to
Teen falls six stories
Scrap Van Man
Beheaded rattlesnake can still bite
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Darwin Awards
2007 Slush Pile

This item was recently submitted by a reader.
Should I include it in the archive?
Vote to tell me what *you* think!

Beheaded rattlesnake can still bite

2007 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

Below is a story of a well-intentioned man that believed that a beheaded rattlesnake dies instantly. He was wrong! The snake still bit him when he decided to PLAY with the upper portion of the beheaded snake! His wife's quick 911 call keeps this one no more than an Honorable Mention.

Folks, don't play with grenades, fireworks, gunpowder, or POISONOUS SNAKES!

'PROSSER, Wash. - Turns out, even beheaded rattlesnakes can be dangerous.

'That’s what 53-year-old Danny Anderson learned as he was feeding his horses Monday night, when a 5-foot rattler slithered onto his central Washington property, about 50 miles southeast of Yakima.

'Anderson and his 27-year-old son, Benjamin, pinned the snake with an irrigation pipe and cut off its head with a shovel. A few more strikes to the head left it sitting under a pickup truck.

'“When I reached down to pick up the head, it raised around and did a backflip almost, and bit my finger,” Anderson said. “I had to shake my hand real hard to get it to let loose.”

'Venom was spreading. 'His wife insisted they go to the hospital, and by the time they arrived at Prosser Memorial Hospital 10 minutes later, Anderson’s tongue was swollen and the venom was spreading. He then was taken by ambulance 30 miles to a Richland hospital to get the full series of six shots he needed.

'The snake head ended up in the bed of his pickup, and Anderson landed in the hospital until Wednesday afternoon.

'Mike Livingston, a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist, said the area where the Anderson’s live is near prime snake habitat. But he said he had never heard of anyone being bit by a decapitated snake before.

'“That’s really surprising but that’s an important thing to tell people,” he said. “It may have been just a reflex on the part of the snake.”

'If another rattlesnake comes along, Anderson said he’ll likely try to kill it again, but said he’ll grab a shovel and bury it right there.

'“It still gives me the creeps to think that son-of-a-gun could do that,” he said.

Submitted on 08/10/2007

Submitted by: Morgan
Reference: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20212558/

Copyright © 2007 DarwinAwards.com

Great? 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Awful?
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>> Moderator Scores <<

Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: Honorable Mention
Just because a rattler is dead doesn't mean the venom in his glands is suddenly no longer poisonous! This mook sure is lucky his wife insisted on the immediate trip to the hospital. Thanks for sending this in, Morgan!


Chip said:
Definitely Keep: Honorable Mention
Morgan, I read this story in the local paper and just shook my head. Most people around here knows that a rattler still carries the poison and can strike even after you cut the head off. Thanks for the story.


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