by A ᴛᴇʀʀɪꜰɪᴇᴅ four-year-old boy was ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋᴇᴅ by a 15ft scrub python that tried to drag him away in his backyard. Clifford Thompson, the 4-year-old boy, was rushed to a hospital with sɴᴀᴋᴇ ʙɪᴛᴇ ᴡᴏᴜɴᴅs.
His dad Evan had just moved into his new house at Airlie Beach in north Queensland and was hosting a housewarming when the beast sᴛʀᴜᴄᴋ. Evan said a number of families were over their house during the housewarming party and there were about 6 kids in the pool.
Evan was keeping an eye on the kids when he suddenly heard a sᴄʀᴇᴀᴍ behind him. When Evan turned around, he saw a massive python ʟᴀᴛᴄʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴᴛᴏ the leg of his son.
“I just heard a bunch of sᴄʀᴇᴀᴍɪɴɢ. I instantly turned around and just saw what was happening,” Evan told 7 News. “It was just a massive snake. Its head was very big and was ʟᴀᴛᴄʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴᴛᴏ his leg. At that stage he was holding onto the side of the boardwalk and it was just pulling him into the bush.”
As soon as he realized the ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀ his child was in, Evan immediately ran toward his son and ᴘᴜɴᴄʜᴇᴅ the snake in the head. The snake finally let go of his boy.
Evan said, “My mate and my wife went to the toolshed and found a sledgehammer and my mate ʜɪᴛ it’. If it had let go of my son when I first ᴘᴜɴᴄʜᴇᴅ it I might have let it go but it was so ᴀɢɢʀᴇssɪᴠᴇ I couldn’t go to work with this thing crawling around my house.”
Evan added, “I’ve dealt with snakes before but nothing like this it would have been 15 foot. I have a three-year-old daughter as well, we’re just glad it didn’t grab her.”
The ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋ happened for 5 minutes. Evan said his son’s leg had a ʟᴀʀɢᴇ ᴛᴇᴀʀ and smaller marks where the snake ʙɪᴛ him. Initially, Evan placed a compression bandage on the ᴡᴏᴜɴᴅs of Clifford and called the authorities. Emergency responder rushed him to the Proserpine Hospital, and was later referred to Mackay.
Clifford also underwent sᴜʀɢᴇʀʏ on the morning of Friday so his snake ᴡᴏᴜɴᴅs can be cleaned up. Clifford is now on antibiotics and is recovering from the ɪɴᴊᴜʀɪᴇs he sustained from the incident.
