BOSTWICK, Fla. A Florida man is in critical condition after he was bitten in the face by a rattlesnake.
Putnam County Fire Rescue responded to the incident on Airport Estates Road around 4:30 p-m Tuesday.
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The man, who appeared to be in his 20s, was bitten in the tongue by an eastern diamondback, which is the largest venomous snake in North America.
"I mean his hand was on it. It was calm. He was drinking a little bit....was holding the snake...went to like kiss it and it bit him," said the victim's friend Jesse Engel.
Officials say the victim was conscious when he received medical attention, but had to be airlifted to a nearby hospital.