Snakebite Survivor: "I think I've earned a bit of cred"

Wylie Clarke has quite the tale to tell… about treading on the tail of one of the most venomous snakes on the planet and surviving its bite.

Late on Sunday night at a friend’s station north of Coen and while getting a glass of water before bed, the young apprentice diesel fitter from Weipa felt a hit to his leg.

He looked down to see not a python as he was expecting, but a death adder… and it had drawn blood.

“I was in a bit of shock’’ said Wylie, who celebrated his 17th birthday on Tuesday.

“It was dark and I had bare feet and I must have trod on its tail and it’s spun around and hit me.

“It wasn’t that hard but when I looked down I soon realised it was a death adder. I looked at my ankle and there were two puncture wounds and blood pouring out.’’

Wylie said he was not too panicked, but the stress of those around him soon elevated his own concerns.

“I did get very tired and hot and sweaty,’’ he said.

“They’ve said a little bit of venom went in but they reckon it was a ‘dry bite’ …. It didn’t bite long enough to pump venom into me.’’

Wylie’s father, Brad, headed with him towards Coen, suggesting he did his best to stick to the speed limit despite the fears for Wylie.

“We met the ambulance about halfway down the road there,’’ Brad said.

“It might have been a bit over halfway…. I don’t want to suggest I was pushing the speed limit!”

Medics with the Queensland Ambulance Service monitored Wylie’s condition, he was stabilised at the Coen Primary Health Care Centre and airlifted by the RFDS from there around 1am on Monday morning.

Wylie was not given antivenom at all, the consideration that it was potentially a non-lethal strike and the reaction to the antivenom may be worse than the bite, and was monitored as the RFDS transferred him to Cairns Hospital, via Weipa where the plane was refuelled and two other patients were picked up.