NEED TO KNOW
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A 17-year-old boy said he was bitten by a rattlesnake during a fishing trip in the North Carolina wilderness ahead of his high school graduation
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Zain Shah said he was “about to turn back” when he “felt a prick” near his foot, then spotted a rattlesnake sitting near him
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The teen received 12 vials of antivenom at a hospital and is now recovering at home
A teenager is recovering after he was bitten by a rattlesnake in the North Carolina wilderness.
Emergency crews responded to an area of Avery County on Monday, June 2, to assist “with the rescue of a hiker that had sustained a snake bite,” according to a news release from North Carolina Emergency Management (NCEM).
Zain Shah, 17, told McClatchy News that he was bitten around 5 p.m. local time on the banks of Lost Cove Creek while fishing with a friend.
Responding to NCEM’s Facebook post, the teen’s father, Imran Shah, said the pair were on “a fun end-of-high-school fishing trip” in the western North Carolina mountains when his son was bitten by a timber rattlesnake “deep in the woods.”
According to Zain, they “were about to turn back” for the day when he “felt a prick” near his foot as he “stepped over” a log, according to McClatchy News. Then, he spotted a rattlesnake sitting near him.
NC Emergency Management/Facebook
One of the teams who helped rescue a teen who was bitten by a rattlesnake in the North Carolina wilderness
At first, the teen said he thought, “No way that just happened” — but when he rolled down his sock, he saw “two red dots and blood coming out” of the wound.
“I knew it was potentially deadly,” Zain explained. Luckily, his friend’s had phone service and they called 911 while attempting to return to the vehicle they arrived in.
About two hours later, a Black Hawk helicopter reached Zain and hoisted him to safety, according to McClatchy News.
NCEM said multiple agencies responded to the call for help, including the National Guard, which provided the Black Hawk helicopter, as well as North Carolina Helo-Aquatic Rescue Team (NCHART) and the Charlotte Fire Department.
Zain was then airlifted to Johnson City Medical Center in Tennessee, and received 12 vials of antivenom to treat the bite, according to McClatchy News.
NC Emergency Management/Facebook
The helicopter that helped rescue a teen from the North Carolina wilderness after he was bitten by a rattlesnake
The teen, who is set to graduate from Chapel Hill High School on June 14, thanked the crews who rescued him from his precarious position.
“All of them saved my life,” he said. “I wouldn’t be here without the help of so many people.”
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On Facebook, the teen’s father also said he is “beyond grateful” for the “incredible” crews who saved Zain, who “is now recovering at home.”
He added, “We are forever in your debt.”
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