PALM CITY, Fla. — An Amazon delivery driver was in serious condition after she was bitten by a rattlesnake while dropping off a package at a South Florida residence, authorities said.
According to a Facebook post by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred on Monday evening in Palm City. The driver walked to the resident’s door and placed the package down, when an eastern diamondback rattlesnake coiled nearby attacked her, according to the sheriff’s office.
The driver was bitten on the back of her leg above the knee by the venomous snake and immediately became ill. She called 911, according to TCPalm.com.
The sheriff’s office said the woman was in “very serious” condition on Tuesday, WPEC-TV reported.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website, eastern diamondback rattlesnakes are found throughout the southeastern U.S. including all of Florida.
The reptile is the largest rattlesnake species and is one of the heaviest known types of venomous snakes, according to the FWC.
The snakes are usually identified by the diamond-shaped pattern along their backs, according to the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.
Their bites inject venom with hemotoxins that kill red blood cells and damage tissue, according to the institute’s website.
Human fatalities from the rattlesnake are rare because an antidote is available nationwide.
Palm City is 106 miles north of Miami and 135 miles southeast of Orlando.
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