A YOUNG girl’s frightening experience with a snake landed her in Frankston Hospital in 2017. Her mother is sharing her story to emphasise the importance of remaining vigilant and aware of the danger of snakes in the summer,
Local mother Erin Carson said that the experience was a sudden and frightening one for herself and her daughter Poppy.
“Poppy was really excited for a kinder excursion she was going on to a local farm. She’d been talking about it for weeks. The excursion would encompass all you would imagine from a trip to a farm including feeding animals, tractor rides and bush-walking, however Poppy got more than she bargained for when she unwittingly stood on a tiger snake,” Ms Carson said.
“It wasn’t until she felt the bite that she even knew the snake was there.”
Although first aid was administered quickly, Poppy was taken to Frankston Hospital in a serious condition.
“At first, doctors were unsure what species of snake Poppy had been bitten by, so they initially administered two anti-venoms. One antivenom was to treat a brown snake bite and the other a tiger snake, however Poppy was not responding to the treatment as quickly as doctors had hoped,” Ms Carson said.
“Doctors made the decision to transfer Poppy to the Royal Children’s Hospital. She had lost her eyesight, her lymph nodes were the size of golf balls, her kidneys had begun to fail and the venom was already attacking her muscles. As any parent can imagine, it was absolutely terrifying. Seeing my daughter lying lifeless in a hospital bed is an image I will remember for the rest of my life. She was so sick and I was helpless.”
Poppy eventually responded to treatment, and made a full recovery. Ms Carson said the close call should serve as a reminder on how careful to be around snakes.
“I know how close I came to losing my daughter that day, but I’m not angry at the snake. It was just doing what snakes do when they feel threatened. It was an accident, but a potentially avoidable one. Had staff not been trained in snake bite first aid I truly believe Poppy would not be here today. Initial treatment is so important and I would encourage everyone to make the time to undertake first aid training.”
It is not advised to handle or kill snakes if they are found. Anyone bitten should call 000.
