Man Dies After Being Bitten by Rattlesnake He Picked Up During Hike at Savage Gulf State Park

A man has died after he was bitten on the hand by a rattlesnake he picked up while hiking at a state park in Tennessee, authorities said.

As reported by The Charlotte Observer, emergency personnel responded the afternoon of Aug. 8 to reports of a man being bitten by a venomous snake about half a mile from the south trailhead of Savage Gulf State Park, according to the Grundy County Emergency Management Association.

The hiker went off the trail and found the snake, believed to be a timber rattlesnake, a spokesperson for the agency said. Then, the man tried to pick up the reptile and was bitten on the hand.

Park rangers, fire rescue and emergency medical personnel arrived on the scene and found the hiker already suffering a severe reaction to the snake bite. Emergency responders started performing CPR on the man while they transported him to a hospital, officials said.

A local volunteer firefighter drove to the man’s home and brought his spouse to the hospital, according to Grundy County EMA. However, the man died of complications from the bite, and the cause of death is believed to be an allergic reaction, the spokesperson said.

Fatal rattlesnake bites are rare, with only about 1 in 600 resulting in death, according to the U.S. Forest Service. “Most snake bites occur when a rattlesnake is handled or accidentally touched by someone walking or climbing,” according to wildlife officials. “The majority of snakebites occur on the hands, feet and ankles.”

The trailhead is in Gruetli-Laager, about a 40-mile drive northwest from Chattanooga.