Florida Man Says a Coral Snake and a Pygmy Rattlesnake Both Bit Him at the Same Time. Did This Really Happen?

Coming from Boston, I have found that Florida is one strange and scary place. Although warm and beautiful, it's a jungle out there. It is downright dangerous to go outside and take a walk, especially in the garden, by the water, in the yard, or even by the dumpster at the motel where you may be staying. All too often, some critter is lurking there, just waiting to eat you, or bite you very badly. Also, some of the native Florida humans here can be a bit odd. Here is the story of Mr. John Agan, 46, a plumber from Tampa, and what he says happened to him when he met up with both a coral snake and a pygmy rattlesnake at the same time.

John, his wife, and his dog Little Bit, had been staying at the Master's Economy Inn in Seffner, Florida while pipes in his house were being fixed. He let his dog out for a "stroll" when the dog began barking at something. John went out to investigate. He followed the dog, who had run behind the dumpster. He had just caught up with her, when he suddenly felt a stinging pain in his shin and a searing pain in his foot.

He looked down and saw a 10 inch red and yellow snake chewing on his foot. He shook off the snake, went into the inn and said to himself, "Oh no, not again." He called 9-1-1 for help, and when paramedics arrived they asked him how the bite on his shin felt. "It felt like someone holding a torch to my leg." John said. They told him the bite marks on his shin were probably made by a pygmy rattlesnake. Later when John described the snake that bit his foot, hospital workers agreed it had to be a coral snake. Both snakes are poisonous.

The pygmy rattlesnake is found throughout the state of Florida. It is a small snake and is extremely aggressive. Its bite is extremely painful and can be fatal. Sometimes called the ground rattler, its rattle makes a buzzing sound like an insect. Mice and frogs make up its diet.

The coral snake can also be found throughout Florida. It frequents grassy areas. It is a beautifully colored snake with red, black, yellow and white bands. It emits a very powerful neurotoxic venom which can be fatal to its victim.

The fact that Mr.Agan was bitten at the same time by two poisonous snakes is strange to say the least. Snakes of different species don't usually hang out together and share a meal. The coral snake probably would prefer to eat the pygmy rattlesnake rather then to chomp on Mr. Agan's big foot. When Mr. Agan told his story at University Community Hospital in Tampa, where he was treated with anti-venom medication, experts began to doubt him.

It seems Mr.Agan has a long history of calamities. He has had a variety of accidents, including falling off a roof and breaking his neck. He was the victim of several violent crimes. He has been kidnapped, stabbed, left in a car trunk and was the survivor of a fatal car crash. He was attacked by a swarm of hornets, and has been bitten nine times by other snakes in the backyard of his rented home where no one but him, has ever even seen a snake. It is extremely rare for a person to be bitten by a snake more than once, unless one is a professional snake handler.

While Mr.Agan was recuperating and giving interviews at the hospital, rumors began circulating on the internet concerning his credibility. People were saying he injured himself to get drugs. Agan says he doesn't even drink. He says he got some good drugs while in the ambulance; but once in the hospital, he did not get any more narcotics. Doctors treated his wounds, gave him anti venom and discharged him. When he was sent home, they told him to take Tylenol for pain.

Doctors now are awaiting test results to see how much venom if any was in Mr. Agan's blood stream.. However, snakes can still bite you without leaving any venom.

When doctors admit a patient they work with the information paramedics give them. The only evidence paramedics had of Mr. Agan's bites were the puncture marks and swelling on his leg. They checked the area around the dumpster. No one ever saw a coral snake. No one ever saw a pygmy rattlesnake.

As for Mr. Agan, he thinks he is plain unlucky. "I am seriously thinking my body puts out some kind of pheromone to attract snakes," he said. His wife jokes that she is going to buy him a bubble to live in. Wildlife and Poison Control experts say his encounters are not typical and highly unlikely at best.

The jury is still out on Mr. Agan. Is his experience a hoax or not? Comments on the internet range from..... "The man may be a religious snake handler," to "the poor man, let's all pray for him to recover," and "I know this guy, he's showed up at area hospitals 15 times this year with questionable snake bites, wasting time, resources and money."

Mr. Agan, who has since been evicted from his rental home, was interviewed by Fox News regarding his double snake bite experience........He said "It's Florida. What can I say. I was born and raised here and I will die here, hopefully not from a snake bite."

Sources:

TBO.com

St. Pete Times

Wikipedia

Florida Poison Information Center

Personal Experience