(WSVN) - A man in South Carolina is fighting for his life after a being bitten by a rattlesnake that fell into his kayak.

WLTX reports the 28-year-old man was paddling on the Edisto River on Saturday when the snake dropped from a tree, then bit the man twice on his hand.

The victim’s friends managed to capture the snake and call 911. Paramedics arrived 12 minutes later and rushed him to a nearby hospital that carries anti-venom, but the man’s condition worsened during transport.

Colleton County Fire Chief Barry McRoy said the man “was in bad shape and greatly deteriorated” during the ambulance ride, Fox News reports.

The Colleton Medical Center admitted the man into their intensive care unit, but he was airlifted the next day to the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston to continue his treatment. He is listed in critical condition, according to WLTX.

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