Man Claims Docs Made Rattler Bite Worse

OAKLAND, Calif. (CN) - A hospital increased a rattlesnake bite victim's suffering by giving him Haldol, though he told it he was allergic to the drug, the man claims in court.

Austin Biro sued the Sutter Health Eden Medical Center, and Drs. James Hardy and Christopher Brown, in Alameda County Court.

Biro says in the lawsuit that he was admitted to Sutter on May 12, 2012, "for treatment of a rattlesnake bite to his right hand. At the time of his admission plaintiff and other third parties informed medical staff at defendant Sutter that plaintiff was susceptible to allergic reactions to the medication Haldol or any of its derivatives. While hospitalized in defendant Sutter 'Haldol' was administered to plaintiff despite his known allergy to said drug and suffered severe reactions which included but were not limited to locked jaw, hallucinations, irritability, stress, hypertension, agitation and delirium.

"Plaintiff herein alleges the administration of the drug Haldol was done at the direction of each of the defendants named herein. ... The results were horrific and consequently the plaintiff suffered severe pain, discomfort and suffering resulting in the damages herein stated."

Biro seeks damages for negligence, claiming the incident caused "a severe shock to his nervous system."

He is represented by Mark Thiel.

The rattlesnake is the only poisonous snake native to California, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. "The California Poison Control Center notes that rattlesnakes account for more than 800 bites each year with one to two deaths," according to the Fish and Wildlife website.

Rattlesnake venom is toxic to both blood and nerves, though rattlesnakes sometimes bite people without injecting them with venom.

About 8,000 people a year report snakebites in the United States; no more than 12 people died each year from 1960 to 1990, according to an article in the American Family Physician.

Most fatal snakebites in the United States come from rattlesnakes.

Even if it doesn't kill you, it hurts like hell, one snakebite victim said.

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