An Air Life of Oregon Publication
Vol. 19. Number 1
Spring 2005
D eadly
When a five-year-old Sisters boy
meets with a juvenile rattlesnake,
the consequences could be fatal
ears pricked the back of Chris
Gurney’s eyes as her five-year-old
son, Jacob, began singing softly to
himself.
T
“Just say ow, say it now, just say ow and
it’s over”
It was a line from a children's book, one
Chris had read to her four small children
to teach them to cope with pain. But this
was no bedtime story. As Chris choked
back the tears, a paramedic inserted an
IV in her son's arm and began battling
the rattlesnake venom poisoning Jacob’s
tiny body.
Last June 1 had „started like any other
in the Gurney household. It was a sunny
morning, and the four children had
trooped outside to play on the
family’s wooded acre near Sisters.
When three of them came in. Chris
wasn’t particularly surprised that Jacob
— her independent, outdoor-loving five-
year-old — stayed outside by himself.
But then Chris heard the scream.
“I started running toward him and he
ran inside, so we met at the middle of the
house,” she said. “He was holding out his
thumb and I thought he said ‘snake.’”
Snake. A wave of horror washed through
Chris. She knew without a doubt her
son had been bitten by a rattlesnake.
"The phone was right there.” she said. “I
picked it up and I put my arm around
Jacob and I dialed 911.”
Fighting the urge to panic, Chris held
Jacob’s hand low to keep the venom
below his heart. She knew her best
defense was to keep her son calm, so she
held him tightly and waited for help to
arrive. She also dialed her husband, Jim,
on his cell phone.
Jim was less than a mile from the house
when the call came. He heard the terror
St. Charles Medical Center
2500 NE Neff Rd.
Bend, Oregon 97701
Jacob Gurney, now 6, shows his sister, Emma, 7, where he
found the rattlesnake. Below, what's left of
the juvenile rattlesnake that
bit Jacob last June.
in his wife’s voice as she explained
what had happened. “Right away, I feared
the worst.” Jim admitted. “I just started
praying immediately, and I didn't stop.”
A team from Sisters-Camp Sherman
RFPD arrived within 10 minutes.
According to Paramedic Captain Jeremy
Ast, this was the first rattlesnake call
in the program’s history, so he and his
team calmly reviewed protocol as the
ambulance navigated the winding roads
toward the Gurney home.
Top Tips for Avoiding Rattlesnake Bites
♦
Always wear shoes or boots. Boots and long pants can
provide you with a great deal of protection.
♦
Use a flashlight at night to avoid stepping on snakes.
♦
Do not place your hand on a rock ledge or outcropping
above eye level where a snake may be resting.
♦
Be cautious when approaching rocks, bushes, or other
objects where a snake may have sought shade.
♦
Set up your campsite in an open area.
♦
Stay on trails and avoid walking in heavy underbrush.
♦
If you hear a rattlesnake, stay calm and try to locate
the snake's position. Move away slowly.
"Shortly
after I arrived
at the scene, I did a
quick assessment of the patient
and called the ER physician at
St. Charles,” he said. “I told him
what had happened and that we were
looking at about a 45-minute transport
time. I asked if he recommended Air Life,
and he said yes.”
The medics needed to be certain they
were dealing with a rattlesnake bite, so
Jacob’s dad went with Scott Michalek
— a neighbor and volunteer firefighter
who had been first at the scene — to
search for the snake. For the panicked
father, it was like looking for a needle in
a haystack. But in a miracle Jim credits
to the power of prayer, the
two men quickly found the
juvenile rattlesnake.
“When we saw it was a
baby I thought that was
better, but they said that
wasn’t a good thing,”
Jim recalled. “Juvenile
rattlesnakes can also be
incredibly deadly."
Continued on page 4
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