A water moccasin bit a 16-year-old when he tried to pick up a sweatshirt he dropped in Miramar, authorities said.
The snake bit the teenager on the 5000 block of Southwest 172nd Avenue while he was walking home from school, Miramar Fire Rescue Division Chief Bill Huff said.
The victim was taken to Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood, Huff said.
"When he got to get the shirt, the water moccasin touched it, like bit him, and then he just grabbed it," said Matthew Medina, who saw the snake attack. "And he was just holding it like crazy."
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Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said a venom team responded. Water moccasins are known for their painful and potentially fatal bites.
“There was two cops out there, and they were searching the area for the snake, because they didn’t want it to bite anyone else later," witness Jacob O'Keefe said.
Stay with NBC6.com and NBC 6 South Florida for updates.
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