Another California Man Who Tried to Take Selfie With Rattlesnake Gets Bit

August 26, 2015

What part of venomous do some people not understand? Another California man was bitten by a rattlesnake after he picked it up and tried to take a selfie with it. According to KCAL9, Alex Gomez, 36, picked up an approximately four-foot rattlesnake near his family ranch in Lake Elsinore when the reptile, you guessed it, bit him on the hand.

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I’m shocked that he would have that things around his neck,” said Deborah Gomez, the man’s mother. “It could’ve bit his neck, and that would have been it. That’s just being a fool.”

According to the report, Alex’s nephew, Ronnie Gomez, said the snake gave plenty of warning and said the snake was very mad, but that apparently didn’t stop the father of three from picking the snake up for that all important selfie. Alex’s mother said that his son may lose his hand as she told KCAL9 that it is already rotting away. She said that sharing her son’s “embarrassing” story is the best way to instill the dangers of these snakes that she thought her son was already aware.

"You're playing with danger, you know, you play with fire you're gonna get burnt," said Gomezes' neighbor, Byron Bonilla.

According to California Poison Control, there are 800 rattlesnake bites a year in California which results in an average of 1-2 deaths a year. This bite obviously could have been avoided. So if you see a rattlesnake out in a field or elsewhere while out, heed Gomez' mother's advice and don't pick it and take a selfie. It is stupid and foolish.

John B. Virata keeps a western hognose snake, a ball python, two corn snakes, a king snake, and two leopard geckos. His first snake, a California kingsnake, was purchased for $5. His first pet reptile was a green anole that arrived in a small box via mail order. Follow him on Twitter @johnvirata