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, 40, of Rio Bravo was walking with his brother, Fidel, along U.S. Highway 281 near Encino on Friday when he reached into some grass and was bitten on the hand. He grabbed the snake, bit off the head, quickly skinned it and used the skin as a tourniquet to keep the venom from spreading. A passerby drove him to a hospital.