Colorado Boy Got Too Close!

Hello.

Again, watching wildlife from a distance is safer than going near.

Can we do a Darwin Award for the most stupidest people on the planet?

You can't fix stupid!

You can't change minds!

You are completely trapped in stupid.

You are wrapped and emboldened in stupid.

Again, why do white people always treat wild animals like they're domesticated? 

I would never touch a wild animal. 

Alas, some people think that animals are timid when you're petting them. Nope.

A 6-year old boy was removed from life support after being in a coma. He was bitten by a venomous pit viper. The timber rattlesnake is an American snake that has venom that can kill children, the elderly and those with allergic sensitivities.

He got too close to the snake and it bit him. He was riding his bicycle. Of course, the rattlesnake has an early defense by its tail shaking in a rattling sound. The next thing would be the position pose and then a strike. Sometimes it could be a dry bite which carries a bacterial infection or the venom which could be deadly if left untreated.

Colorado boy latest victim of a deadly pit viper bite.

Simon Currat was riding his family when he spotted the animal.

A father and his two children were taking a water break in the Bluestem Prairie Open Space when his 6-year-old son ran ahead and was bitten by the snake, the station reported. The boy died a week later.

"Being a dad myself it really, really hits home," said Security Fire Battalion Chief Derek Chambers, who was among the first to respond to the call on July 5 just after 8 a.m.

Mistake No. 1 ---- the father had no cell phone to call in case of an emergency.

"As soon as the kid was bitten, the dad grabbed him and started running toward the street ... screaming for help," he told the station.

Members of his department were on scene within minutes, and a helicopter arrived shortly afterwards. The child would make it to the hospital but died days later.

The child was given anti-venom but the bite had taken its toll.

"It's hard to imagine what that family is going through," Chambers told the station.

The father didn't have a phone and made it worse by panicking.

After more than a decade at the fire station, it was his first response to a snake bite. But Chambers says sightings are common.

He says there are several things to remember if a snake were to bite you or someone you are with.

"Stay calm, try and slow down your heart rate as much as possible, leave the bite wound lower than the heart; don't elevate," he said. "Don't put a tourniquet on it and don't try and suck out the venom, but get the child or patient to a hospital as quick as possible."

On the same day that Simon was bitten, his older sister Anna suffered a sustained seizure.

The 8-year-old, who was left blind and non verbal after birth complications, was treated at the same hospital where Simon spent his last days.

The Colorado Springs Fire Department told CBS affiliate KKTV that leaving a rattlesnake bite unattended can lead to you having nausea and dizziness. Your blood pressure will also fall and your heart rate can go up.

Experts with Colorado Parks and Wildlife told the station that identifying the right snake will help hospitals apply the right anti-venom.

"The best thing to do is take a picture of it or try to get the best description of it, but make sure you can still keep your distance," said Lt. Joey Buttenwieser, Colorado Springs Fire Department. "We don't want to risk someone else getting struck or getting struck again by that snake."

A deadly adventure for boy. Bitten by a rattlesnake.

Rattlesnakes usually avoid humans, but about 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the U.S. each year, with 10 to 15 deaths, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

In 2017, a 31-year-old endurance athlete died after he was bitten by a rattlesnake in Colorado.

What to do if you are bitten by a pit viper.

1. Do not panic. It drives up the heart rate.

2. Do not suck out the venom.

3. Apply ice to the wound.

4. Make sure you keep a phone on you to contact 9-1-1.

5. Get anti-venom as soon as possible.

If you are within a snake's path. In the case of a rattlesnake, remain calm.

1. Back away from the snake if you hear the rattling of its tail.

2. Carry a shovel or a bottle of rubbing alcohol in case of defending yourself.

3. If you decapitate a pit viper, do not pick up the head. The snake can bite you.

4. Stay away from pit vipers. Do not approach them.

5. To prevent a bite, stay back 30 feet and give the pit viper its space. 

It's the unfortunate cause and effect of animals and people.

I've said it before and I stand by what I say: "Wild animals are......well you know!"

If you want to be a thrill seeker, you might want to get life insurance.