A Pennsylvania man is on the road to recovery after a rattlesnake bit him.
Mark Kline Jr. is a longtime snake handler. Earlier in July, he was on Mount Davis in Somerset County, counting the timber rattlesnake population.
He was caught off guard, and a snake bit him on the finger.
Kline was airlifted to a hospital, where he received 28 vials of antivenom.
He may still lose his finger, but Kline doesn’t blame the snake for the incident.
“Honestly, they’re docile,” Kline told NBC News affiliate WJAC. “They really are. What happened to me is my fault. Just a snake being a snake and me being dumb.”
If you encounter a rattlesnake while hiking, state officials say you should give it space. If you get bitten by a snake, call 911 immediately, so you can be taken to the appropriate hospital as fast as possible.
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