Russell E. Davis, 39, died early Sunday after he was bitten by a rattlesnake during a camping trip with his girlfriend in Elk County, Pennsylvania.
Davis was placing wood on a campfire shortly before midnight Saturday at his family's camp in Medix Run, which is about 125 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, when he was bitten by a rattlesnake, according to WKBN 27.
"He went running into the camp and told his girlfriend to take him to a hospital," Armstrong County Coroner Brian Myers recounted, based on his interview with the woman.
Davis began to experience severe breathing problems while on the way to the hospital, forcing his girlfriend to stop at a local tavern to call for help. An ambulance team arrived within 30 minutes and immediately performed CPR.
Davis was then rushed to Penn Highlands Health Care in St. Marys, Elk County, where he was in "acute respiratory distress," according to Inquistir.
Penn Highlands personnel reported that an anti-venom treatment was given to Davis before he was transported to a hospital in Pittsburg for additional treatment. However, Davis went into full cardiac arrest before arrival, forcing the helicopter to land at ACMH Hospital in Kittanning, Armstrong County, where he was pronounced dead at 5:23 a.m., according to the Canadian Journal.
Myers ruled the cause of death as anaphylactic reaction to a venomous snake bite and ruled it an accident.
The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources says chance encounters with rattlesnakes are called "rare" within the state of Pennsylvania.
