Snakebitten Man Critical, Unresponsive To Anti-Venom

[NicoleRussell]

POSTED: 7:04 am EST February 10, 2006
UPDATED: 5:37 pm EST February 10, 2006

PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. -- Doctors are trying to determine what kind of snake
bit a man who was arrested on trespassing charges after acting erratically
at a local elementary school.

Late Friday afternoon, Damian Hernandez Rubio was in extremely critical
condition at Memorial Hospital West -- though he was showing some slight
signs of improvement.

Around 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Pembroke Pines police were dispatched to Pines
Lakes Elementary School, where Rubio, 31, was behaving strangely. As police
were taking Rubio into custody, they noticed his breathing was interrupted
and at one point stopped completely.

Rubio was rushed to the hospital, where doctors there determined he was
suffering from snakebite. Although doctors were able to identify the
problem, they could not determine what kind of snake bit him.

"In this case, he doesn't seem to be responding to the proper treatment of
snakes native to the United States, so we're leaning to believe that it may
be from another part (of the world)," said Miami-Dade fire-rescue Capt. Al
Cruz with the anti-venom unit. "We carry 43 different anti-venoms that cover
98 percent of all the world's venomous snakes."

Cruz said that of the more than 400 snakebite victims the anti-venom unit
has treated, Rubio's case is one of the top five worst. Rubio has been
treated with more than 50 vials of anti-venom -- more than four times the
average dose.

Police said Rubio would not be charged with trespassing, although he could
die if doctors don't find out what kind of snake bit him.

School officials have checked the grounds but did not find any snakes. Cruz
believes the snake might have been Rubio's pet.

[bcfos1]

What I gathered from another forum this guy was a recent illegal immigrant who was bitten god knows where making into this country and somehow managed to get to Florida. It was said it was believed to have been a mojave green at some point in time during his trek.

[NicoleRussell]

INFORMATION SOUGHT ON SNAKE-BITE VICTIM-Miami Herald

A man who suffered a possible snake bite and was taken into custody Thursday
for acting bizarrely at a Pembroke Pines elementary school remained in
critical condition Friday night at a local hospital, according to a nursing
supervisor.
Police stopped Damien Rubio Hernandez, 30, Thursday afternoon after
officials at Pine Lakes Elementary School saw him on school property acting
suspiciously. School officials asked Hernandez to leave the grounds at 10300
Johnson St., but he returned, according to police.
When police arrived, Hernandez ran away from and then back to the officers.
They took him into custody for trespassing.
Once police brought him to a substation at Pembroke Lakes Mall, Hernandez
had trouble breathing and was transported to Memorial Hospital West.
Rescue workers then realized Hernandez may have been in anaphylactic shock
from a snake bite.
Police dropped the charges, and they believe his behavior was due to the
snake bite.
Officers don't know where Hernandez lives. Police ask anyone who can
identify Hernandez or provide information about the incident to call the
department at 954-431-2200, e-mail tips@ppines.com or call Crimestoppers at
954-493-TIPS.

Ft Lauderdale Sun Sentinel
PEMBROKE PINES -- A man bitten by a poisonous snake is in critical
condition, and officials say he could die if investigators cannot determine
what type of snake bit him, news partner NBC 6 reported on Friday.

Pembroke Pines police took the man into custody because he was trespassing
at Pines Lakes Elementary School, 10300 Johnson St., around 1:30 p.m. on
Thursday. After he was arrested, police noticed he was having trouble
breathing and had him taken to a hospital.

Doctors at Memorial West Hospital determined the man had been bitten by a
poisonous snake and was suffering from shock.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue has 43 different types of anti-venin, but they cannot
give the man anti-venin until they determine what kind of snake bit him.

Police said they need to speak with the man's family for clues. The man was
carrying Mexican identification that says he is Damien Rubio Hernandez, 30,
of Nuevo Laredo.

If you recognize the man, call Pembroke Pines police at 954-436-2200 or call
Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.

No charges are pending. Authorities figure the man's bizarre behavior
occurred because of the snakebite.