Amazon driver in ‘very serious condition’ after being bitten by highly venomous rattlesnake while dropping off package in Florida

An Amazon delivery worker is hospitalized in “very serious condition” after being bitten by a highly venomous rattlesnake while dropping off a package in Florida, authorities said Tuesday.

The Eastern Diamondback rattlesnake was “coiled” near the front door of the Palm City home when the driver came to make the delivery, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday in a story on social networks. As the driver walked to the door to drop off the package, she “was struck by the snake on the back of the leg, just above the knee,” the statement said.

She immediately became ill and called 911. Dispatchers were able to use GPS coordinates to locate the driver and send an ambulance to take him to the hospital, officials said. The woman’s name and age have not been released.

“Our thoughts are with the driver and we hope for a full recovery following this frightening incident. Together with the delivery service partner, we are reviewing the circumstances surrounding this incident and continuing to ensure that drivers understand that they should not perform delivery if they don’t feel safe,” Amazon spokesperson Branden Baribeau told CBS News.

“Eastern Diamondbacks are highly venomous snakes and are very common in this area,” the sheriff’s office said. Easily identified by large black diamonds with brown centers and cream borders on its back and its distinctive tail rattle, the rattlesnake is found in every county in Florida, according to the Florida Museum’s herpetology page. CBS Miami reported that the rattlesnake has enough venom kill five people.

The Florida Poison Control Center recommends that if bitten by an Eastern Diamondback, injured individuals “should not apply a tourniquet or ice, as this makes the damage worse,” nor should they “cut the skin and suck out the venom “. The poison control center said, “Go to the nearest hospital. »

Palm City sits on Florida’s Atlantic, about 40 miles north of Palm Beach.