Miramar Man Recovering From Venomous Snake Bite

Bob Hughson was bit by a Coral Snake Tuesday

A Miramar man is still recovering at Memorial Regional Hospital days after he was bit by a venomous Coral snake in his backyard.

"I remembered the rhyme, ‘Red and yellow kill a fellow,’ and I saw red and yellow," he told NBC 6 South Florida.

Bob Hughson said he was bit by the snake Tuesday and experienced some of the most excruciating pain in his life.

"Like if someone took a poker – like a hot poker – and just stuck it in me," he said.

After 10 vials of antivenom, Hughson’s tongue is still swollen. He also feels a combination of numbness and pain and is getting around with the help of a wheelchair.

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Experts say a coral snake's venom is dangerous and could result in death because it is neurotoxic.

"It can paralyze respiratory muscles and cause difficulty swallowing,” said Heidi Cohen, a medical director at Joe DiMaggio Hospital. “It's very dangerous and very potent."

Cohen said about 60 of every 100 Coral snake bites happen in Florida. But Ron Magill of Zoo Miami said the bite is still rare.

“Coral snakes are non-aggressive snakes, you really have to bother one, step on one, grab at one, before it attempts to bite," he said.

Magill added that rain from Tropical Storm Isaac may have forced some animals out of hiding.

"When they get flooded out, they've got to breathe, they are air-breathing animals,” Magill said. “They're going to look for dry land and become more prevalent in that way."

Hughson is expected to make a full recovery, but said he will avoid one area of his home.

"I’ll never go in my backyard again," he told NBC 6 South Florida.

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