MARION, Ohio -- A Marion man nearly died after being bitten by a snake Thursday night.
According to police, Mike Jolliff, 32, was unresponsive and unconscious when a western diamondback rattlesnake bit him in the hand and thumb, NBC 4's Mike Bowersock reported.
Police said there were nearly 200 snakes inside his home when one of them bit him. About 100 of those snakes were venomous.
Jolliff, a snake dealer, was selling a python when he opened the wrong container and the viper struck and bit him.
Neighbors said they knew Jolliff had the dangerous snakes.
"When I was a kid, we used to sit there and play with them," said Dustin Thacker, a neighbor. "Probably about two years ago, he had one get out. It was outside the house and a neighbor turned it in. Police had to come out and take care of it. It was a rattler or a cobra."
"It's not seen as rarely as you might think ... I would say we see one or two pit viper bites per year," said Dr. Richard Nelson, of The OSU Medical Center.
Experts at The Columbus Zoo said there are many safety precautions snake handlers can take.
There are emergency plans in place to prepare for similar incidents at the zoo.
"We'd hit this emergency alarm button," said Joel Williams, of The Columbus Zoo. "We also have the skull and crossbones. That way, if a keeper's not trained in venoms, he'll know not to open that door. You could be in serious trouble within 15 to 20 minutes with some of these snakes."
Williams has been bitten before, Bowersock reported.
"The cobra bite was almost like somebody injecting battery acid in your leg, but rattlesnakes are even more painful," he said. "In my case ... on the way to the hospital, my lungs started shutting down so I ran into a lot of respiratory failure. Your speech becomes slurred, your eyesight starts to go."
Jolliff was flown to The Ohio State University Medical Center. His condition is improving, but he is still critical.
The incident is not under investigation because Jolliff had the proper permits to own the snakes.
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