- While brush-cutting at a remote cattle property, rural contractor Braydon felt a sudden whack to his leg
- As the pain set in, Braydon knew he’d been bitten by a snake. He’d spotted Eastern Brown snakes in the undergrowth earlier – the same species that had bitten him four years prior
- With no first aid kit handy, Braydon ripped his shirt and fashioned a tourniquet, potentially saving his own life
Here Braydon Brighton, 28, Gin Gin, Qld tells his own story in his own words
Another day in paradise,’ I said to my dog Gunner, as we drove up to a property in my ute.
As a rural contractor, I took on everything from mustering cattle to breaking in horses.
Being my own boss and working outdoors was the dream gig for me.
In February this year, I’d been hired to do some brush cutting on timber regrowth at a cattle property at Gaeta, Qld.
It was 35 degrees, so I was in the standard Aussie work uniform – footy shorts and a blue work shirt.
My only companion, Gunner, was doing his usual job of dozing in the truck, conserving energy.
Everything was going smoothly until I felt something whack the side of my bare left calf.
‘Oh, bugger,’ I muttered, as a familiar sting set in.
Four years earlier, I’d been bitten by an eastern brown snake – the world’s second most venomous brown land snake.
That bite had been a ‘dry bite’, meaning I got the pain without the deadly consequences.
Now, I glanced at my leg – and there it was, two tiny puncture marks.
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Uh-oh, I thought, as dizziness and nausea started to kick in.
I knew straight away I’d been bitten by another eastern brown – I’d seen them in the undergrowth.
With no first-aid kit in the truck, I tore my shirt in half and wrapped up my leg tightly to stop the poison spreading.
With only one bar of reception on my phone, I called my mum, Kay.
She knew my exact location as I’d given her my work details earlier, and rang emergency on my behalf.
Meanwhile, I stumbled to my ute and threw my gear in before I set off for the owner’s homestead, about two kilometres away.
By the time I got there, I was sweating profusely.
My sore leg felt like it had been stung by the residents of a couple of wasps nests, and my stomach was churning from the agony.
I propped my leg up to help reduce the swelling.
Forty-five minutes later, the paramedics arrived and immediately administered morphine before splinting my leg.
Mum also turned up, took one look at me, and just sighed, ‘Not again, Braydon.’
Thankfully, 25 minutes later, the chopper finally arrived, having had to circle a few times to find a safe clearing before landing.
Flown to Bundaberg Hospital, as I was wheeled in a nurse laughed, ‘You again?’
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I was a regular customer, thanks to rodeos, wild horses, and the odd bull chase gone wrong.
After running tests to check venom levels and confirm it was an eastern brown that got me, they said I had to stay overnight.
‘But I’ve got work to do,’ I protested.
‘You’ve also got a heart rate of 170 over 65,’ the doctor replied, explaining it was drastically high.
Despite this they decided not to give me antivenom.
‘You didn’t get a fatal amount of venom, so your body can fight it off itself,’ the doctor explained.
But that night, my heart started racing, so docs gave me medicine to calm it down.
In the morning, I was feeling better, and was thankfully discharged.
And by that afternoon, I was back at work, mustering cattle.
I’m grateful to everyone who helped save my life.
I’m also thankful to have survived a second deadly snake bite – and lived to tell the tail.
What to do if you’re bitten by a snake:
Snake bites can be serious and even fatal, depending on the type of snake.
Venomous snakes can bring on paralysis as well as a deadly haemorrhage or kidney failure.
In some cases, people have had to have their affected limbs amputated.
If you’ve been bitten by a snake it’s important to:
– Get away from the snake.
– Call 000 (Aus) or 111 (NZ) and ask for an ambulance.
– Stay still and keep calm.
– If possible, apply a pressure bandage.
– If you’re with someone who’s been bitten and is unresponsive, or not breathing properly, start CPR.
– Stay with the person until the ambulance arrives.
Healthdirect.gov.au
