Brown snake bite victim Braydon Brighton lives to tell his story

A 26-year-old fencing and mustering contractor has survived being bitten by a brown snake alone and 2km from help. And it isn’t his first bite.

Braydon Brighton has survived his second brown snake bite after driving 2km to call for help and using his work shirt as a tourniquet until the rescue chopper arrived.

A quick-thinking Queenslander has a great story of survival to tell his grandkids.

The 26- year-old was bitten by a deadly brown snake miles from anywhere in the North Burnett but managed to drive himself 2km so he could call for help.

He even ripped off his shirt for a makeshift tourniquet until paramedics arrived.

Incredibly, it isn’t the first time he has been bitten a brown.

Braydon Brighton is a rural contractor who runs his own business, BGB Rural Contracting at Gin Gin, West of Bundaberg.

Braydon Brighton in Bundaberg Hospital after surviving his second brown snake bite, driving 2km to call for help and using his work shirt as a makeshift bandage.

On Thursday, he was brush cutting timber regrowth on a cattle property at Gaeta with only his faithful dog Gunner for company.

“I’d just finished out a bit of the valley there and talked to the owner about what my next plan of attack was when I decided I’d go clear out the other side of the valley,” Mr Brighton said.

“I was there about one and a half to two hours when I had to go back and refuel the knapsack.

Tragic story of young Burnett boy’s death after being bitten by a snake

Braydon Brighton has survived his second brown snake bite after driving 2km to call for help and using his work shirt as a tourniquet.

Once I was refuelled I started back in chopping when I felt something hit the side of my leg (just above the sock protector).

“My leg started to sting, and I thought ‘oh shit’.”

Four years earlier, Braydon had copped what was classified as a “dry bite” from a brown snake, so he was not unfamiliar with the sensation.

When he checked his leg he could see the puncture marks and knew he’d been bitten by a snake.

“I thought ‘this is not real flash’.”

Stories of eastern brown snakes

Braydon Brighton has survived his second brown snake bite after driving 2km to call for help and using his work shirt as a tourniquet until the rescue chopper arrived.

He immediately started walking back up to his truck, loaded up his gear and drove towards the homestead about 2km away.

He’d had a little phone reception at the site, but not much.

There was nobody at the homestead, so he rang his mum who runs the pharmacy in Gin Gin.

She rang rang 000.

“I was feeling pretty average (by this stage),” he said.

“I was not feeling real crash hot.”

While he waited for the paramedics to arrive, he tore his work shirt in half and wrapped it tightly around the bite site of his leg and tried to keep still.

Braydon Brighton’s bandaged leg in Bundaberg Hospital. Braydon survived his second brown snake bite this week, driving himself 2km to call for help and using his work shirt as a tourniquet.

Eventually the paramedics arrived, gave pain relief and splinted his leg.

Mr Brighton said although he’d been “smacked” by the snake it was thought that not a great deal of venom had been injected.

Though reluctant to make a big deal out of his symptoms, he said he “did not highly rate” the experience.

By the time the chopper arrived about 10.30-11am, he was feeling nauseous.

The chopper had to circle a few times before finding a clearing on the side of a nearby hill to land and then Braydon was airlifted to Bundaberg Hospital for further treatment, his leg “stinging like a bugger”.

By that night in hospital he said he felt better and was discussing going back to work the next day.

But his partner and other visitors soon disavowed him of that notion.

Overnight Braydon had two significant scares though, when his heart started playing up.

“I had a couple of turns overnight.

I’d be feeling OK then my heart would start flickering,” he said.

“I didn’t want to ring the buzzer. I didn’t want to be a burden to the nurses and doctors.”

Instead he walked out to the nurses station “pale as a ghost”.

Each time it happened the medical staff bolted into action, running tests and keeping a close eye on him.

A typical country bloke, Mr Brighton was discharged from the Bundaberg Hospital today and plans to take his dog to the vet before hitting the gym.

By Friday late morning, he was back to his old self, planning to go mustering Saturday and Sunday before getting back into his bush word on Monday.