NEW TAMPA – A young boy had a terrifying experience Friday evening when he was bitten by a pygmy rattlesnake.
Jacob Hyatt, 8, was playing in a field near his home in north Hillsborough County when he picked up a rock. Rescue crews say that’s where the snake was hiding.
People who live nearby say this isn’t the first time a poisonous snake has been spotted in the area. Yvonne Canfield has become somewhat of a snake expert. She does everything she can to rid the neighborhood of the rattlesnakes.
“I killed one myself with a shovel on our porch,” she said. “It was just lucky that I saw it. Our neighbors have killed two, my husband has killed two or three. This is all within the last couple of weeks.”
Canfield says she keeps a shovel near her door just in case she has to defend herself. Friday afternoon, she watched as the ambulance raced past her house to treat Hyatt.
“I did see them wheel him out of the house,” she said. “He was very, very pale. His parents were very concerned of course.”
Hyatt was rushed to University Community Hospital, where his mother explained to doctors what happened. She told them her son was trying to get a rope stuck in a tree. He wanted to stand on a rock to get higher. When he moved the rock, he found the snake hiding underneath.
Neighbors say these poisonous snakes are everywhere. That may be because the entire subdivision is surrounded by woods and pastures.
“In the past month I’ve seen like two rattlesnakes, about a half a foot [each],” said Jordan Sierra, 12.
Some parents are so worried that they’ve put special restrictions on their kids to help keep them from being bitten. They won’t let them leave the house without shoes on and they can forget about wearing flip-flops.
“The kids are warned constantly,” said Canfield. “They have to keep shoes on their feet. They can’t reach into a bush.”
The children say they’re very conscious about watching where they step or what they’re reaching into.
“It freaks me out sometimes,” said Sierra. “You’ve got to be safe.”
Children in the neighborhood have already started making “get well soon” cards for Hyatt. They’re wishing him a speedy recovery all while knowing it could have been any of them.
“This has put a good scare into them,” said Canfield.