Queensland woman bitten by eastern brown snake in bed

Australia sees around 3,000 snakebite incidents annually, with roughly 550 people requiring hospitalization and an average of two fatalities. While over half of these occur in rural areas, a surprising number happen near homes or buildings.

In remote locations, snake bites pose a significant threat due to the potential distance from medical facilities and access to antivenom. This highlights the importance of snakebite awareness and proper first-aid procedures in these areas.

A woman detailed her frightening brush with death after rolling onto one of Australia’s deadliest animals in the middle of the night.

A Queensland woman is lucky to be alive after she was bitten by a deadly snake while sleeping in rural Queensland. Kasey Leadbetter went to bed after working at a rural cattle station near Glenmorgan, west of Toowoomba, not knowing an eastern brown snake had joined her underneath the covers. She rolled over in the early hours of the morning before she was hit with a searing pain in her hand from a “very strong bite”.

“I remember jumping out of bed straight away because it gave me such a fright,” Ms Leadbetter told 9News. “My hand just felt like it was on fire and I could feel it was starting to travel up my arm .”

At first, the 21-year-old didn’t even realise it was a snake bite, something that helped her not slip into shock.

“I was very lucky and it could have gone either way, it was really touch and go for a while there,” she said.

Eastern brown snakes are the second most venomous snake in the world, causing more deaths than any other species in Australia.

“Being an alert, nervous species they often react defensively if surprised or cornered, putting on a fierce display and striking with little hesitation,” researchers at the Australian Museum say about the snake.

“…The venom contains powerful presynaptic neurotoxins, procoagulants, cardiotoxins and nephrotoxins, and successful envenomation can result in progressive paralysis and uncontrollable bleeding.”

Panicked and not fully comprehending how her life was now at risk, Ms Leadbetter immediately called her mum for help, who contacted the family she was working with on the cattle station. They leapt into action, wrapping her arm in a compression bandage and keeping her stable until paramedics arrived by helicopter to the property. She was then airlifted to Toowoomba Hospital where she was treated with lifesaving anti-venom.

After the terrifying ordeal, the 21-year-old is urging schools to teach snake bite first aid in a bid to prevent deaths.

“It has saved my life and it can save other people’s lives too,” she said.

Ms Leadbetter plans on returning to work as soon as she recovers, adding that the incident has not stopped her from loving snakes.

“Going back to work will bring out some emotion and maybe indefinitely a bit of fear, but I’m stronger than I’m stronger than that,” she said.

Courtesy of news.com.au

We live in a land where snakes abound, you don’t have to be in the bush or in the outback to have a snake encounter and my first encounter was when one slithered under the front door at my mates house in the suburbs of Melbourne. 

Of course the best way to avoid being bitten is by avoiding snakes, if you see one don’t try and catch or kill it, that’s usually the time a bite occurs. Leave them alone and generally, but not always they will do the same.

But if one does strike, assume you’ve been envenomated and take all the necessary steps to ensure you go on to live a long and healthy life by doing the right things. And this is where a snake bite kit could save your life. 

Lie or sit down with the bite area in a comfortable neutral position making sure there is no chance of being bitten again and avoiding any necessary movement.

 Apply a Pressure Bandage:

• Wrap a bandage firmly around the bitten limb, starting below the bite and working your way upwards.
• Extend the bandage as high as possible, ideally all the way to the groin for leg bites.
• Keep the bitten limb still and avoid removing clothing if possible.
• Aim for a tightness similar to what you would use for a sprained ankle.
• Mark the location of the bite on the bandage for reference.

Immobilize the Bitten Area:

• If possible, splint the bitten limb to minimize movement.
• The splint should immobilize the joints on both sides of the bite.

Call for Immediate Help:

• Dial emergency services: 000 in Australia
• Monitor the victim for any symptoms that may arise.
• Remember, prompt medical attention is crucial in snakebite cases.
• Remember: Applying a pressure bandage and immobilizing the bitten limb can slow the spread of venom and buy valuable time for medical treatment, especially in remote locations.

REGULATOR Snake Bite Kit: A light, compact and practical snake bite specific kit designed to be a portable injury specific module when outdoors or where snakes are an identified risk. Complete with the AeroForm Snake Bite Bandage to ensure correct pressure is applied to the affected limb.

• AEROFORM Snake Bite Bandage w/indicator 10 cm x 4.5 m x 2
• AEROBAND Calico Triangular Bandage 110cm x 110cm x 155 cm x 1
• AEROPAD Non-Adherent Dressing 5 cm x 5 cm x 1

SURVIVAL Snake Bite KIT is a comprehensive solution for handling venomous encounters with snakes, Funnel-web spiders, blue-ringed octopuses, or cone shells. Designed by both first aid and snake experts, this kit is no ordinary fare. It’s equipped with all the essentials, including the innovative SMART Bandage. This revolutionary bandage shows you the optimum tension using a pictogram, taking the guesswork out of treatment, hence the name.

• 1 x Cotton gauze swabs (3 per pack), sterile, 7.5cm x 7.5cm
• 1 x Emergency blanket, 2.1m x 1.6m in zip lock bag
• 1 x Mini black permanent marker
• 2 x Nitrile gloves
• 3 x Pressure bandages – 2 SMART Bandages, heavy duty, reusable and washable, 10cm x 2m; 1 medium weight, 10cm x 1.8m
• 1 x Snake bite instruction card, includes bite record register and CPR instruction card
• 1 x Splint, 11cm (W) x 61cm (L) 

By Scott Brown

If you would like more information about this topic or any others, purchase any First Aid stock or equipment, or to book a Remote Area First Aid course, please contact us on 0491 057 339 or email info@ruralandremotefirstaid.com.au

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Our goal is that all Rural Australians will have the confidence and skills to act in an emergency. We do that by partnering with those that live and work in Rural and Remote Areas so that if an emergency occurs they will get the best possible outcome for their family member, workmates and organisation.

For over 23 years Scott Brown has been training Remote Area First Aid across Australia. Having first joined Rural Ambulance Victoria in 2001 and working in the high-country in Victoria, he began teaching First Aid for Rural Ambulance Victoria. 23 years on, he works with some of Australia’s largest pastoral corporations and property managers that combined manage over 200,000 square kms of the Australian landscape.

Known for conveying detailed First Aid information in a relatable and relaxed way, Scott’s courses have become popular with Agricultural Property Managers, overseers and ringers alike. The highly practical course content ensures relevance to actual situations that are possible to encounter on a working property.

Scott continues to work with Ambulance Victoria alongside his First Aid training. 
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