When disaster strikes, knowing the right thing to do can mean the difference between saving a life or facing dire consequences. Thankfully for 12-year-old Boy Scout Jamie of the Los Padres Council, his keen senses and troop’s emergency preparedness skills came in handy after a rattlesnake bite on a Scouting trip in March.

When Jamie and some fellow Scouts walked through a field of grass to get water, Jamie felt intense pain on his ankle.

“It was at that moment that I connected the sound with the pain and I knew pretty much instantly that I had been bitten by a rattlesnake,” recalled Jamie. 

Understanding that timing is critical, Jamie and his troop acted immediately. His Scoutmasters carried the injured Scout almost two miles out of the woods before transporting to the hospital for anti-venom. 

“Most people make the mistake with snakebites of not moving quick enough,” said Scout Master Dave Cantin of Troop 33. “You have to do it quick. There’s a magic two-hour window. Luckily I think with Jamie, we hit that two-hour window to get him from where he was bit to the hospital.”

Check out the video clip below from KSBY Channel 6 News to hear Jamie’s first-hand account of the snakebite and how he’s recovering.