Man thought a thorn ‘punched’ his leg by the river—when his eyes turned red, his wife rushed him to the hospital and what doctors found froze them
When people go on trips with their families, the last thing they'd expect is a health crisis. Colorado resident Michael Padilla was at a roadside stop during a family outing when he felt a weird sensation of being "punched" in his leg. However, when his eyes turned red, his wife immediately took him to the hospital. Upon arrival, doctors were shocked at what they saw. Reported by 9 News on July 2, 2026, the man revealed how the immediate visit saved his life.
Padilla and his family were off to celebrate his 13-year-old grandson's birthday in Estes Park, and decided to make a stop at a spot near a river. While he walked on the rocks along the riverbank, he suddenly felt a thorn-like punch on the back of his leg. A few minutes later, when he began to feel uneasy, his wife noticed that his eyes had turned red. She immediately called 911. Inside the ambulance, the man went into anaphylactic shock. "Next thing I know, my stomach starts hurting really bad," he recalled. He threw up inside the vehicle. Upon reaching the hospital, he learned that he had been bitten by a rattlesnake three times.
According to Healthline, rattlesnake bites can be a major health emergency if left untreated. The victim must be treated within half an hour, and failure to do so can lead to organ failure or death within the next two or three days. The major symptoms of a rattlesnake bite are numbness in the face or limbs, lightheadedness, weakness, nausea or vomiting, sweating, salivating, blurred vision, and difficulty breathing. Padilla experienced quite a few of these signs before he went into shock. According to reports, the man believed the creature must have stayed hidden under the rock, which is why he failed to notice it.
Following the diagnosis, he required 18 vials of antivenom. Padilla says he is lucky to have come out of the situation without any serious or long-term complications. It was suspected that one of the three bites might have been a dry bite, where the rattlesnake might not have injected venom, possibly to warn the victim. His wife is glad that she decided to call 911 rather than drive further. They are urging others not to wait to try other remedies and to immediately call the emergency line in such cases.