A woman has been released from hospital after being bitten by an eastern brown snake that became entangled in her bike's drivetrain.
The woman was riding through the Burringbar section of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail when she inadvertently ran over the snake. It became caught in the bike's chain prior to biting her on the thigh.
Police and paramedics were called, along with local snake catcher Sarah Mailey.
“We received a phone call in regard to a potential bite on the rail trail,” Mailey told local ABC radio. “So we got in the car quickly, got out there, and the police and the ambulance were there. The ambulance had just taken the lady away.”
Mailey said the job was dangerous and a delicate operation. About 30 centimetres of the snake's upper body was free while its mid-section remained trapped in the chain.
“When I got down there, the top half of the snake's body was very active, alive and moving. It was just the middle part that was trapped in the chain, so it had its full head swinging around, able to bite, and there were a few people standing there just watching,” she said. “I had to pin the head to get the snake trapped, and then I had people there to assist to unwind it from the chain.”
Once freed, the snake had to be euthanised. Mailey said it was already in poor condition before the incident — blind in one eye — which may explain why it didn't move out of the riders' path.
Despite the eastern brown's reputation, the woman received a dry bite with no venom injected. An Ambulance NSW spokesperson said she was taken to Tweed Valley Hospital in a stable condition and discharged the next day.
Mailey said the incident was a reminder that the rail trail cuts directly through snake habitat and riders should be prepared.
Her advice for trail users, whether on two wheels or on foot, is simple.
“Ideally, everyone should have a compression bandage,” she said. “That’s the one thing that will make the biggest difference. If we're going out on the rail trail, have a compression bandage and know how to use it.”