A Pennsylvania man has died several days after he was attacked by an 18-foot (almost 5.4 metres) boa constrictor.
On Wednesday, police in Fogelsville, Pa., responded to an emergency situation involving Elliot Senseman, 27, who was lying on the floor in cardiac arrest with the snake coiled around his neck.
Police at the scene were able to shoot the boa constrictor in the head without harming Senseman. The snake died and the victim was brought to hospital.
Senseman had been receiving treatment at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, but died on Sunday night, according to the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office.
The coroner’s report listed anoxic brain injury due to asphyxiation by constriction as the cause of death.
Senseman’s death was declared an accident.
“A Boa Constrictor type snake approximately 18′ in length constricted around the neck of Mr. Senseman, thus causing the anoxic brain injury (complete lack of oxygen to the brain),” the coroner’s office statement reads.
According to People Magazine, who spoke with Senseman’s mother, the boa constrictor was one of three snakes in the victim’s personal care at the time of his death.
Senseman’s mother said he would commonly rescue and rehabilitate snakes. She told the outlet that her son was still working with the boa constrictor “because it was so aggressive” that it couldn’t be placed in a new home yet.
People reported that it was a family member of Senseman’s who made the emergency call.
His grandmother was reportedly the one to find him with the boa constrictor tightly wrapped around his neck.
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