ELK COUNTY, Pa. — A Beaver County man died after he was bitten by a rattlesnake late Saturday night while camping in Elk County, according to the Armstrong County Coroner’s Office.
Russell Davis, 39, of Freedom, was sitting by a fire at his family’s camp at Medix Run when the snake bit him just before midnight, a release from coroner Brian Myers stated.
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Davis was in acute respiratory distress when he was driven by private means to meet an ambulance, Myers said. He was taken Penn Highlands Hospital in St. Marys and was to be airlifted to a hospital in Pittsburgh.
Myers said Davis went into cardiac arrest in the helicopter, which then landed at ACMH Hospital in Kittanning, where he was pronounced dead.
Experts at the Pittsburgh Poison Center told Channel 11 News venomous snakes are known to live in western Pennsylvania.
"There are venomous snakes, even within the local area close in to Pittsburgh and the near suburbs," Dr. Michael Lynch said. "Many of our local snakes are rattlesnakes, so you may have some warning, but copperheads are also known to be local."
Timber rattlesnakes, the type that killed Davis, can be found in Armstrong, Westmoreland, Indiana, Fayette and Washington counties, and without a permit, people are not allowed to catch or kill them.
Meanwhile, Eastern Massasauga rattlesnakes are most common in Butler, Mercer and Venango counties, and copperheads are most often spotted in Allegheny, Armstrong, Clarion, Fayette, Indiana, Venango, Washington and Westmoreland counties.
Lynch said the Pittsburgh Poison Center has taken 19 calls for poisonous snake bites so far this year, including seven bites in the past 10 days. Many of those were from copperhead snakes.
Davis’ death was the first from a snake bite in five years, according to Lynch.Experts advise that if you’re in the woods, you should wear long pants and boots and always look before sitting on rocks or logs. If you spot a snake, never try to pick it up, and if you or a friend is bitten, do not attempt first aid -- instead, get to a hospital as soon as possible.