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Journalism of Courage
David Humplett, 25, a wildlife enthusiast and influencer, was recently bitten by a diamondback rattlesnake—the deadliest snake in Florida—while he and his friends were hiking through a forest. Despite the fatal bite, Humplett immediately began filming himself.
What stirred up attention on social media was that Humplett chose to compliment and film the deadly snake that had bitten him. “What a meme, dude! Cool snake. Big diamondback. GG (good game),” he said in the video, laughing as he captured the moment on camera.
Humphlett has been in the ICU for two weeks. Doctors have been working tirelessly to combat the effects of the venom. He has been given 88 vials of antivenom already. “My first thought was, ‘Dang it, this is really bad. It was pretty terrifying because my whole body went numb, from head to toe,” Humphlett, who is still unable to move his ankle, said.
The now-viral video shows the influencer in the ICU. He was airlifted to UF Health Shands by medical helicopter. Hours later, a video shared on X shows Humphlett in a hospital bed, struggling to speak.
Sharing the video, an X user Collin Rugg wrote, “NEW: Florida man accepts his fate after being bitten by a diamondback rattlesnake, says he is “cooked” but at least it will make a good meme. Gotta respect his commitment to the meme game.”
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The video amassed over 19 million views, prompting various reactions. “It’ll be real funny till he finds out that rattle snake anti-venom costs $120,000,” a user wrote. “His calm demeanor, and the fact that he didn’t get too worked up helped a lot. If he panics like crazy his blood rushes, which in turn rushes the venom through him more quickly,” another user said.
“Usually it the babies who have the worst venom but that one is enormous! He is lucky,” a third user wrote.
