This story sounds like something straight out of a nightmare.

Jennifer Sutcliffe and her husband were doing yard work over the Memorial Day weekend when they came across a rattlesnake. Her husband was able to quickly grab his shovel and behead the four-foot rattlesnake. Moments later, her husband bent down to dispose of the snake when the head surprisingly bit him.

Yes, you read that correctly: A severed rattlesnake head—completely detached from its body—bit Jennifer's husband.

It released all its venom into him at that point.

Sutcliffe quickly called 911 while she drove her husband to the hospital. Things were so bad, she had to meet up with an ambulance on the road where they "HALO-flighted him to the hospital."

He immediately began having seizures, lost his vision and experienced internal bleeding.

Even after giving him large amounts of antivenom, doctors told Sutcliffe her husband might not make it.

A normal person who is going to get bit is going to get two to four doses of antivenom. He had to have 26 doses.

Sutcliffe's husband is now stable and recovering, but some of his bodily functions are still weak. Even though only 10-12 people out of the 6,000-8,000 that are bitten actually die, it's still a reminder that something as common as a snake bite can take your life.

Sutcliffe's husband is now in stable condition, but his kidney function is still weak. Trauma surgeon Michael Halpert said although dying from a snake bite is rare, it happens.

Trauma surgeon Michael Halpert warns against "sucking" out venom or following what you see in movies to treat a snake bite.

You just want to keep the victim calm, keep the bitten area above the level of the heart slightly, and get the patient to the nearest emergency room.

This is all great advice to follow, especially with more snakes coming out in this hot South Louisiana weather.

[via KIII-TV]

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