A California family recently experienced every parent's worst nightmare. A snake bit their two-year-old Brigland Brigs Pfeffer while he was playing in the backyard. He rushed to his mom yelling that a snake had bit him.
According to his mother Lindsay Pfeffer, she saw the "smallest little drop" of blood on his hand between his index and thumb. They immediately called 911 who told them to wait for an ambulance. Sadly, a venomous snake had bitten the boy.
Pfeffer told local CBS8, "He was laying down on the sidewalk out in front [of the house] just flat; just sweating and he wasn't moving." First responders rushed the little boy to Palomar Medical Center Escondido. Unfortunately, their problems didn't end there. Doctors struggled to administer the antivenom because the snake's venom caused his veins to constrict. They ended up having to drill into the toddler's leg to get an IV.
Snake Bite Sends Toddler To Hospital
Mrs Pfeffer said, "I thought he was going to die; we all thought he was going to die and even the doctors thought he was going to die. When they started to put the pads on to shock him and I saw his blood pressure going down... we knew it wasn't good. His whole arm was black and I was like 'I don't want his last memory to be me screaming.'"
The little boy ended up in intensive care for several days. Even the medical staff wasn't sure that he would survive. His mom said, "Nobody understands how he is alive."
The hospital staff ended up administering more than 30 vials of antivenom. He was bitten by a Southern Pacific Rattlesnake. The swelling in his arm eventually went down, but he's to nerve damage as well as scar tissue.
Unfortunately, the family is facing a mounting battle following the snake bite. They're up to their necks in hospital bills. The antivenom cost $213,278. Their total hospital bill was $297,461.
Unfortunately, most insurance do not cover antivenom. The company did get the price negotiated down to $7,200 for the family. But they're on the hook for a $11,300 ambulance ride.
