RACQ CQ Rescue flew snake bite victim from remote site west of Mackay

Staff at a roadhouse in remote Queensland had to help bandage and splint a truck driver’s leg after a snake twice bit him on the roadside. Read what happened.

An unlucky truck driver was flown to hospital for urgent care after a snake twice bit his leg as he was checking his tyres at a remote site west of Mackay.

Staff at a nearby roadhouse helped bandage the bites and splint his leg as he drifted in and out of consciousness while awaiting critical care.

The 42 year old had been stopped in a parking bay, about 5km south of the Belyando Road House on the Gregory Highway when the incident occurred.

RACQ CQ Rescue flew a truck driver bitten twice by a snake at Belyando Crossing to hospital. Picture: RACQ CQ Rescue

He was checking the pressure of his semi-trailer and dog tyres when a snake twice bit him – he immediately drove 5km to the Belyando Crossing roadhouse for help where staff called triple-0 before helping to bandage and splint the leg.

RACQ CQ Rescue flew to the site, about 360km west of Mackay, with a doctor and critical care paramedic on board landing at the remote location about 1.30pm.

An RACQ CQ Rescue spokeswoman said the chopper landed in a parking lot near the roadhouse where the patient was loaded on-board.

“The man told the medical team he had previously had a life-threatening reaction to snake anti-venom, and being so far from medical care, the helicopter crew were under pressure to transfer the truck driver to hospital treatment urgently,” the spokeswoman said.

“There was no time to spare.”

Staff at a nearby roadhouse had to help bandage and splint his leg. Picture: RACQ CQ Rescue

The man arrived at Mackay Base Hospital about 3pm, after the helicopter quickly refuelled at Moranbah.

With the warmer weather, snakes are now on the move across the region. RACQ CQ Rescue air crewman Grant Bollington said applying a pressure immobilisation bandage after a bite was critical to slowing the spread of venom.

“Often people who are bitten by a snake experience no early obvious symptoms. It’s common for people to start feeling sick a few hours later and symptoms can progress quickly and may cause cardiac arrest or a life-threatening bleed,” he said.

“Every snake bite should be treated as a medical emergency – this poor bloke never expected to be bitten inspecting his truck tyres and being so far from a hospital he was really in a very dangerous situation.

“There’s no doubt access to an aeromedical service and his quick transfer to hospital probably helped save his life,” Mr Bollington said.

Originally published as RACQ CQ Rescue flew snake bite victim from remote site west of Mackay