The girl’s hand was swollen after the attack with a crowd that took place on Kinver Edge, on the border of Worcestershire, Staffordshire and Black Country on Saturday 16 April. The young woman needed an intravenous infusion of serum against the poison while she was being treated at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, where she remained at the weekend for follow-up as a precautionary measure. Her father, David Rathbon, said: “One of the members of our group had been notified of the snake’s presence, and because she was a big girl, she searched for the striking reptile with her finger. “Unusually, the snake did not retreat but stuck to her finger. “She took off a ‘climate’ and at this point I grabbed her hand and sucked hard on the wound at the tip of her index finger. “The snake has not yet retreated. The snake also hit my hand forcing me to whip my hand out of range. “She then complained of pain and swelling, so we coagulated in my car at Kidderminster Hospital as the swelling on her fingers increased rapidly. “About 15 minutes later in the minor injury unit, her whole arm had started to swell. The young man’s finger and hand began to swell after the adder was bitten on a picnic. Credit: BPM Media “The staff acted quickly, tying her arm and lower arm. They then decided to take us under the blue lights to Birmingham Children’s Hospital where the serum was stored. “She was taken to the intensive care unit. She was in a good mood all the time, as she was a very brave girl, until she received an intravenous serum infusion against the poison, which made her quite ill as it is a powerful drug. “After a tetanus vaccine, he was kept under close observation. A second intravenous infusion was given at about 1:00 a.m. today. “Now he feels good, if not a little tired of losing a planned Easter egg hunt, while he remains under surveillance. Mr Rathbone added: “This is a very rare occurrence and the snake’s behavior is quite strange, which may have been caused by the sudden change of weather in this hot spell. “I hope this will alert walkers using similar dilapidated heather.”
