Hiker in Tennessee who picked up a venomous snake dies after being bitten

A hiker in a Tennessee state park died after picking up a rattlesnake that bit him in what was a rare fatality arising from a snake bite, authorities said Friday.

The hiker, a man who was not publicly identified, was in Savage Gulf State Park in Gruetli-Laager, Tennessee, around 12:30 p.m. on Aug. 8, Matthew Griffith, director for the Grundy County Emergency Association, said in an email.

A witness told officials that the hiker had picked up a snake, which was believed to be a timber rattlesnake, and was bitten on a hand, Griffith said. It was not clear why the hiker picked up the snake.

The hiker was a half-mile along a trail. Emergency medical workers arrived and gave him CPR before transferring him to a hospital, where he died, Griffith said.

Thousands of people in the United States are bitten by venomous snakes each year, but only about five bites annually prove to be fatal, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. More people would die if they did not seek medical care, the agency said.

It is believed the man’s death was caused by an allergic reaction, but full details have yet to be released, Griffith said.

An allergy to snake venom can be similar to a bee sting allergy, said William Sutton, a professor at the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at Tennessee State University. He said a bite could send someone into anaphylaxis, which is a narrowing of the airways and lowering of blood pressure, within minutes.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.