5-Year-Old Girl Repeatedly Bitten By Venomous Snake After Family Cat Corners Serpent

A 5-year-old girl from South Georgia was bitten multiple times by a venomous snake.

Maisy Lamica from Valdosta is battling for her life after she was bitten by a timber rattlesnake, three times on her right calf.

"The amount of times that snake bit her, was enough to kind of sedate an elephant at this point basically," said the child’s mother, Cynthia Spell.

According to the mother, the incident happened Friday, June 18, when the child went to check on their family cat that had cornered a snake by a tree.

Spell told WCTV reporters that the child was with her father and siblings at their home in Berrien County when the venomous reptile attacked her.

"He looked over and she was hopping on one foot and as soon as he saw her hopping, he heard the rattle. So it didn’t rattle until after it bit her," said Spell.

The shocked father immediately called 911 and emergency services rushed to the residence.

Spell says her baby girl had gone into anaphylactic shock by the time the ambulance arrived. She said the child’s body began to shut down while they were on their way to the South Georgia Medical Center.

"We got to the hospital and they were trying to reassure us she was going to be okay but she just did not look anything okay at all. She was pale, vitals were immediately going down very fast. A very scary situation," said Spell.

The child was later airlifted to Shands Hospital after her condition became critical.

Spell said Lamica is now awake but her leg is swollen and that the venom appears to be spreading to her thigh. The doctors are trying their best to save the little girl, the mother added.

"I’ve never in my life experienced anything like it. Just pray. I mean, people ask us what can we do for you and really her body and the doctors have to do the rest," she said.

Spell is asking the community to keep praying for her baby girl’s recovery. She also urges parents to educate their children on what to do if they encounter a snake.

"I’ve gone my whole life in Georgia and I’ve never encountered a snake. You tell your children there might be a snake... there might be a snake.. but you never really have the opportunity to educate them, what to do if there’s a snake. You don’t really think that through.. as much as you should. I think that’s the overall lessons we got from all of this," said Spell.