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NIXA, Missouri — A Missouri man died over the weekend after being bitten by a snake on both legs, then refusing to seek treatment.
Gilbert De Leon, 37, was wading in the James River with his girlfriend May 22 when he yelled that he’d been bitten by a snake, according to USA Today.
“(De Leon) got out of the river to find he’d been bitten twice — once on each leg,” Christian County coroner Brad Cole told the paper. “I’m not sure what kind of snake bit him, but the only venomous water snake I’m aware of is a cottonmouth.”
De Leon’s girlfriend tried to convince him to go to the hospital, but he refused, claiming he wouldn’t be able to afford the bill, according to KFOR. Things only got worse that night.
- Try to see and remember the color and shape of the snake
- Keep the bitten person still and calm
- Seek medical attention
- Dial 911
- Apply first aid if you cannot get the person to the hospital right away
- Lay or sit the person down with the bite below the level of the heart
- Tell him/her to stay calm and still
- Cover the bite with a clean, dry dressing
“During the night, she thought he was having some labored breathing, but once again, could not get him to go to the doctor or seek medical attention,” Cole said.
The girlfriend told investigators De Leon remained lethargic and snored louder than usual, according to KY3. He died in his sleep sometime early Saturday.
While there won’t be an autopsy, a toxicology report was ordered. The results from that test should take about eight weeks.
“The lab won’t tell us anything about a snake bite, but it will say if there was a drug overdose or alcohol overdose,” Cole told USA Today. “However, I didn’t find anything else that looked to me like the cause of death was anything other than a snake bite.”
The fang marks were ¾ of an inch wide, indicating a smaller snake, Cole said. There are several venomous snake species in Missouri, including cottonmouths, copperheads and rattlesnakes.