MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — A 21-year-old Amazon delivery driver, who was bitten by a rattlesnake in Palm City on Monday, is awake and talking.
WPTV spoke very briefly with the injured driver, Monet Robinson. She said she's in a lot of pain but does have family members with her while she recovers in the hospital.
Robinson was bitten by a nearly 5-foot-long eastern diamondback rattlesnake while she was on the job.
Body camera video showed a Martin County sheriff's deputy arrive at the scene following the attack.
Palm City
Amazon delivery driver bitten by 'highly venomous' rattlesnake in Martin County
Robinson was rushed to Cleveland Clinic Martin North where she is recovering from the snake bite to the inside of her upper thigh.
The snake was captured by another sheriff's deputy and euthanized.
One person who has had plenty of encounters with snakes is Ken Gioeli, the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences agent for St. Lucie County. He said late in 2021, his dog named Freckles came upon a rattlesnake.
"I put my Teflon boots on," Gioeli said. "I had my snake wrangling equipment, came outside real fast and got the snake."
The snakeskin from his encounter is now used in educational presentations.
Gioeli said one myth is that you can tell the age of a snake by the amount of rattles it has. He said an eastern diamondback rattlesnake actually produces a rattle every one to six years.
"The more it eats, the warmer it is, the more it grows," Gioeli said. "When it sheds its skin, it produces a new rattle."
While encountering a snake may increase your heart rate, first responders said the fact that the Amazon driver was able to remain calm saved her.
WPTV tried to contact Robinson again but was unsuccessful in speaking with her more about her condition and the incident.