An Amazon driver in Florida is in the hospital after being bitten by a highly venomous snake while making a delivery. The incident occurred in the Highland Reserve Community in Palm City. As the driver set down the package in front of the recipient’s home, an eastern diamondback rattlesnake, which was coiled up nearby, bit her.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office reported that the driver immediately fell ill and cried out for help. She is currently hospitalized in very serious condition. Eastern diamondback rattlesnakes are typically solitary and often function as ambush predators. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) states that these snakes typically try to escape when they feel threatened by humans, but they are capable of attacking.
To stay safe from rattlesnakes, it is important to give them space and refrain from touching them if encountered in the wild. If you live in an area known to have eastern diamondbacks, exercise caution when leaving your home, keep your dogs on leashes, and be mindful of stumps, animal burrows, and fallen trees.
Rattlesnake sightings can be reported using the FWC Reporter app.
Source: Martin County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)