A southern Washington man is in serious condition in Portland after he kissed his new pet rattlesnake.
The rattler bit Matt George’s lip. George was flown by helicopter to Legacy Emanuel Hospital, in Portland, in critical condition yesterday. He has been upgraded to serious.
George was showing friends the rattlesnake he’d caught on a recent trip to Arizona.
So he gave it a kiss Sunday at his home in Yacolt, Washington.
One of the friends, Jim Roban, says the rattler left two holes in George’s lip, just under his mustache. He dropped the snake, and Roban stomped it to death.
George then said he was going to die.
Roban says his friend’s face swelled up while they were waiting for an ambulance. He became limp and lost consciousness.
This post was last modified on 01/31/2009 5:35 pm