DeLAND, Fla. – A 46-year-old plumber bitten by a venomous snake is on the mend at Florida Hospital in DeLand.
[WEB EXTRA: Coral Snake Antivenom FAQ | AUDIO: 911 call | VIDEO: Victim talks]
Tuesday night, Local 6 News received photos of Troy Johns and his bite to the hand. Johns' girlfriend said he is resting and being monitored for 24 hours.
Tuesday morning, Johns was working in someone's yard in Orange City when he was bitten on the hand by a coral snake.
"They said that he went to grab a hose to put it back on the truck," said Johns' girlfriend, Allison Cole. "He got bit and they got in the truck and they were headed to the next job. I don't know if he knew it was venomous or not. Then, he got dizzy, so he pulled over to the side of the road and I guess he started throwing up."
Volusia County Fire Rescue officials said Johns' friend tried to drive them to the hospital. They made it as far as the Winn Dixie on S. Woodland Boulevard in DeLand when his friend called 911.
"My buddy just got bit by a coral snake and we're right here on 17," said the 911 caller. "He was trying to throw up, like he was about to throw up. And he was feeling dizzy."
An ambulance transported Johns from the shopping center to Florida Hospital DeLand, one of three hospitals in Florida that does have an effective experimental coral snake antivenin.
The snake was captured at the job site by Johns' friend. It helped determine the type of snake and how to treat Johns.
Cole said she is thankful that Johns had a partner with him Tuesday.
"'Just get me better, send me back to work,'" Cole told Local 6 Johns said.
She said Johns is strong and pushing through with high spirits, even posting about his encounter with his "little friend" on Facebook.
Animal Control took the snake to the Reptile Discovery Center in DeLand, police said.
The snake bite comes a day after Local 6 aired a story about Florida Hospital DeLand being one of three hospitals in the state using experimental antivenin for coral snake bites.
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