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Jul 12, 2023

Pueblo West man barely survives near

Luis Linhares, 62, was just five steps outside his Pueblo West home when he heard a rattle swiftly followed by an excruciating and venomous bite. It was just before 9 p.m. on Aug. 11. Linhares had

Luis Linhares, 62, was just five steps outside his Pueblo West home when he heard a rattle swiftly followed by an excruciating and venomous bite.

It was just before 9 p.m. on Aug. 11. Linhares had been unfortunate to accidentally step on a rattlesnake that dark night. The snake retaliated and pierced Linhares' right ankle with a bite about 4 inches in diameter and 1 ½ inches in depth.

The effects of the bite were immediate — Linhares suffered from anaphylactic shock. His throat and lips swelled. He struggled to breathe and teetered in and out of consciousness. He didn't have time to call 911 himself, but was able to rush back into his home and tell his wife, Lynn Smith, what happened. Smith called 911 immediately.

"It was a game of minutes... if my wife hadn't called when she did, if the EMS personnel hadn't arrived when they did, if there was a deviation of 1, 2, maybe 5 minutes — I would have been dead," Linhares said.

Emergency responders from American Medical Response and the Pueblo West Fire Department transported Linhares to the 32-bed emergency department at Parkview Medical Center. It was there that a team of seven emergency physicians and nurses worked to treat his particularly severe allergic reaction to the snake's bite.

"The ER trauma doctor said '(Linhares) is highly allergic, I have never seen anyone this bad,'" Smith said.

Hospital staff told Smith they would do everything in their power to save her husband. Smith was never told that Linhares was dying, but she could tell the situation was serious after looking at the faces of hospital staff.

Linhares had been in snake-populated areas before. Originally from Brazil, much of his time in the United States has been spent working as an energy employee alone in prairies. Since 2016, he has lived in Pueblo West, where snakes are "part of life." However, Aug. 11, 2023, was the first time Linhares was bit by a snake.

"Maybe if I had waited another minute or 30 seconds, the snake would have been gone... Basically, the whole game is about minutes, sometimes seconds," Linhares said. "It's incredible how fragile life is."

Rattlesnake safety in Pueblo:How to avoid rattlesnakes in Pueblo and what to do if you come across one

Fortunately for Linhares, the Parkview team had experience treating snakebites. Since 2021, Parkview has treated snake bites on 19 patients. The hospital carries two types of antivenom, Anavip and Crofab, to treat rattlesnake bites.

Linhares also was fortunate that his insurance policy provides coverage for rattlesnake bites. A total of 44 vials of antivenom were administered at $40,000 per vial — a grand total of $1.76 million — to save Linhares' life. He stayed in Parkview's Intensive Care Unit until the morning of Wednesday, Aug. 16.

That morning, Linhares not only was recovered from a near-fatal rattlesnake bite, he was able to walk out of the doors of Parkview Medical Center. Just over a week later, he was out at the Pueblo West Do Drop Inn with his wife, eating chicken-fried steak and singing the praises of Parkview's staff.

"It is incredible that in southern Colorado, in the city of Pueblo, we have such an enormous number of qualified employees... If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be here today," Linhares said.

Linhares shares his story with people in hopes that healthcare workers are fully appreciated and that more people take a proactive approach to preventing rattlesnake bites, he said.

There are two types of venomous rattlesnakes indigenous to Pueblo County — the prairie rattlesnake and the massasauga rattlesnake.

These snakes prefer drier, warmer environments. Tim Trujillo, a firefighter with the Pueblo Fire Department, said that Puebloans should be aware of their surroundings, avoid tall grass and wear proper equipment like heavy denim or tall boots when outside in such conditions. Other safety tips include taking a charged cell phone, keeping dogs on leashes and bringing a partner when on hikes.

"(Snakes) are going to always try to avoid us and they are going to rattle," Trujillo said. "Understanding what that rattle sounds like and making yourself familiar — it will send shivers down your spine if you've never heard one of them up close before."

If bitten individuals should leave the area and call 911 immediately. Individuals also are advised to stay calm and not elevate the wound above their heart.

Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at [email protected]. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

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