Teen Steps into Snake's Nest While on Cell Phone
A teen in California is recovering after she inadvertently stepped into a rattlesnake nest and was bitten several times on the foot.
Reports indicate that Vera Oliphant, 16, was visiting a family member on Oct. 27, in a town outside of San Diego and wanted to call her mother, but could not find a cell signal.
Oliphant then began walking through a rural area in search of a cell signal and was unaware of the snake pit in her path. Unfortunately for the teen, by the time she heard the distinctive rattle of a rattlesnake, it was too late.
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She heard them before she saw them.
"I ran backward and stepped into a pit of snakes," Oliphant told Fox News, adding that her "body instantly started going numb."
Doctors stated that she was bitten on her right foot at least six times.
"I didn't see them until I already stepped on their nest and I felt them biting me … my vision started to go right away. First it looked like the snakes blended into the leaves and then I started seeing black spots around the edges and I started blacking out," she explained.
She managed to make it back to her uncle's house, who then proceeded to rush her to the hospital.
Doctors explained that they administered 24 vials of anti-venom to neutralize the toxin from the bites. She then spent the next four days in the intensive care unit and another two weeks at home on crutches as her swollen foot healed.
"The doctors told me that I need two to three months to completely recover from the bites. But I will feel a weird sensation when stepping on my right leg for years," she told ABC News.
The incident did teach her a lesson when she is out in rural areas.
"If you're in the desert, for one, wear boots. And two, don't bring your cell phone or go searching for reception, because you probably won't find it anyways. And you might step into a pit of rattlesnakes," Vera said.
