A man bitten by a poisonous coral snake killed the reptile by biting off its head then used its skin as a tourniquet--a move that probably saved his life.

Valentin Grimaldo of Rio Bravo should make a full recovery, said a spokeswoman for Edinburg Hospital.

Grimaldo, 40, was walking with his brother, Fidel, along U.S. 281 on Friday when he reached into some grass and was bitten on the hand. A passerby drove Grimaldo, his snake tourniquet in place, to the hospital’s emergency room.

Fidel Grimaldo is keeping the snake’s head as a keepsake.