This Man's Selfie with a Rattlesnake Cost Him $150,000...and a World of Pain

It is my belief that people are forever destined to be stupid, and the quest for dangerous selfies is a prime example.

Earlier this month, Todd Fassler of San Diego, CA thought it would be great to get a selfie with a rattlesnake. Claiming to have previously housed a pet rattlesnake of his own, he must have figured it was perfectly normal. However, the rattlesnake wasn’t really feeling it that particular day and struck Fassler, landing him in the hospital. But, it wasn’t until after he was discharged that the real surprise happened – a hospital bill of over $150,000 for his five-day visit.

“My whole body was shaking and gyrating,” Fassler says. “He literally paralyzed my whole body.” Well, that’s the point, isn’t it?

Rattlesnakes aren’t necessarily as dangerous as most people automatically assume. The lethality depends on a variety of factors, such as species, the maturity of the snake, the amount of venom injected into its victim, etc. While more deadly than their cousins, the copperhead, death-by-rattlesnake isn’t very common. Sometimes, a simple antibiotic treatment is all that’s required after a bite, but other times it can be much more severe. This was apparently the case for Fassler.

Anti-venom is only used in extreme cases, largely due to it’s incredibly high cost. Mr. Fassler’s envenomation depleted two hospitals of their entire supply. Yeah. Add that to your already-expensive ER visit.