After working in the yard all day in the triple-digit heat of a Texas summer, all Peggy and Wendell Jones wanted to do was get washed up and go to the casino. The pair, who will have been married 45 years next week, told CNN that they mow the lawn of an investment property in Silsbee, north of Beaumont, every week. The property has been in the family since 1850.
The tasks are routine and unremarkable. What occurred to them while they were at it last month, an encounter that required them to seek medical attention for bloody wounds, is what has caused them to temporarily halt their plans.
“All of a sudden, out of the clear blue sky, a snake fell… and landed on my arm,” Peggy, now 64, recalled as she rode a mower in the property’s back, away from the trees that flank it. She determined that the snake was a dark hue and around 4 and a half feet in length.
It suddenly appeared and wrapped itself around her right arm. And that was a firm grip indeed. “I immediately began thrusting my arm, trying to knock the snake off,” she said. “And as I was thrusting my arm, the snake just wrapped around my arm – and he started striking at my face.”
The tweet below verifies the news:
Texas woman seriously injured after hawk drops snake on her https://t.co/eFpgzynD8c
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) August 9, 2023
She stated the snake wrapped around her arm and squeezed the tighter she tried to get it off. She yelled for aid as the tractor slid along the ground. The snake still refused to release. Wendell, 66, was out front cutting the grass. Peggy claimed to have known since the silence between them was filled with the sounds of his tractor and the surrounding highway.
She essentially was by herself. Then, just as she was about to be bitten by the snake, injecting her with its lethal venom and signaling the end of her life, a hawk with brown and white feathers dove down and attempted to clench it. The serpent, however, clung tenaciously to Peggy’s arm.
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When the hawk attempted to catch it, Peggy’s entire arm jerked upwards as the clutch was so strong. Each time the hawk tried, its wings would flap in her face, obstructing her perception of what was happening in front of her. To make matters worse, the tractor never stopped cutting, chasing Peggy and the natural struggle taking place over her body throughout the field in what she described as “utter chaos.”
Peggy had seen several examples of similar behavior in the wild: a hawk would choose its victim, swoop down and strike, drop the victim on a barbed-wire fence, and then return to take its prize. She had no idea, however, that she would have to act as a sort of barrier.
According to Peggy, the hawk swooped down and bobbed at its prey (and at her) four times before finally snatching up the lizard and taking off. Peggy’s immediate reaction to being set free was one of relief. She cast her gaze downward.
‘Beyond Anything I had Ever Experienced’
There was blood all over her right arm. Crippled claws. Lacerations. Cuts. Punctures. “If you’ve ever cut yourself, think about 10 times that pain,” Peggy said. “It’s a pain you can’t describe. … It was beyond anything I had ever experienced.” Already blackened bruises had appeared, perhaps from the snake’s venom.
Peggy, still trying to make sense of what had just happened to her, continued to shout and rage. The second time, Wendell paid attention. As he saw me, he sprinted over. “She was in hysterics and shock,” he recalled. Wendell, who was still trying to piece together what had happened to his wife, stated, “I just rushed her to the truck and headed to the ER.”
“It was probably three minutes before I actually understood what happened to her.” Peggy’s wounds were treated by the hospital staff, who cleansed and bandaged them. Her family said CNN they spotted what might have been snake venom on the lens of her broken spectacles, but they never had it tested.
The doctors prescribed antibiotics and offered her home care guidelines. Wendell updated his online followers at around 11:59 p.m. on July 25 with a brief summary of the day’s events, concluding with “Thank you for the prayers.“
Peggy, who was bitten by a venomous snake a few years ago, stated that she and her partner remained up all night to check for indicators of a bite, such as swelling and discoloration. Fortunately, none materialized.
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As I see it, I’m pretty tough.
Peggy’s arm is still bandaged from elbow to wrist in bandages that have been changed from white to neon green to bright pink, more than two weeks after the commotion began. The trauma continues to occupy free mental space in her while she mulls over the alternative, fatal, outcomes she may have faced.
“She’s not sleeping well at all,” Wendell said. “When she finally goes to sleep, I’m usually having to wake her up because she’s dreaming.” The Joneses are going the extra mile to ensure Peggy’s wounds heal properly and are kept sterile: After having both knees replaced, the slightest sign of infection might spell disaster.
“This is the toughest young lady I’ve ever met in my life,” Wendell said. “She doesn’t worry about pain. She thinks she can do everything, and she pretty much can do everything, so I have to try and keep her slowed down because she’s blow and go.“
Peggy explained, “I consider myself to be pretty tough, and I’m a survivor.” The Joneses are staying home and tending to Peggy’s wounds, so the casino excursion will have to wait.
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