Man Bitten by Rattlesnake in Rescue Attempt

A Connecticut man’s love for animals nearly cost him his life when he was bitten by a rattlesnake he was trying to rescue from a roadway. Joseph Ricciardella, 45, was driving home to Torrington on Sunday night when he spotted the snake in the middle of the road. He stopped his car and attempted to move the snake to safety using a spare shirt to cover its head. However, the rattlesnake bit his hand in the process.

Ricciardella, a father of one and owner of a landscaping business, quickly contacted his ex-girlfriend and mother of his 4-year-old daughter, Brittany Hilmeyer. Initially, she thought he was joking, but as the venom began to affect his speech, she realized the gravity of the situation. “He was getting to the point where he really couldn’t talk,” Hilmeyer said. “You couldn’t understand him. It was like trying to talk to someone with a mouth full of marbles.”

Despite his deteriorating condition, Ricciardella managed to drive himself to a nearby hospital. He was then airlifted to Hartford Hospital where he received the necessary doses of anti-venom. Prior to receiving the anti-venom, his respiratory system began to fail and he went into cardiac arrest.

Ricciardella’s condition has been improving slowly since the incident, but he remains in the hospital. “The doctor said he looks a little less swollen today,” Hilmeyer shared on Tuesday. “He woke up this morning because they lowered the sedatives, he was able to nod his head and he squeezed the doctor’s hand when he was talking to him.”

Ricciardella’s love for animals is well-known among his loved ones. He and his brother Robert used to capture snakes as boys while growing up in Waterbury and upstate New York. He even once allowed an injured bat to stay in his home until it fully recovered.

Connecticut is home to two venomous snakes: the timber rattlesnake and the copperhead. However, these snakes only bite if they feel threatened or are handled, according to the state’s Department of Environmental Protection.