How far would you go to take the perfect selfie? Would you go as far as San Diego local Todd Fassler, whose attempt at taking a picture with a rattlesnake ended up costing him over $150k? Probably not.
For as long as humanity has existed, human beings have been obsessed with their own existence. Blame it on consciousness, or blame it on all the shame that Adam and Eve supposedly gifted upon us all, but we just can’t seem to get enough of ourselves. Throughout the years, as we’ve advanced as a society, we’ve also advanced in the various ways we choose to share our self-obsessed nature with the world. First we had sculptures and painted self-portraits, and now we have selfies.
While selfies are usually harmless, if annoying, ways to show the world how crazy/sexy/cool we look on any given day, there’s probably not a person living among us who can honestly say that he/she has never taken one. Why? Because we’re all totally obsessed with ourselves (haven’t you been paying attention at all?).
However, what happens when your quest for the perfect self-documentation crosses the line from just plain fun to most certainly life-threatening? Just ask Todd Fassler, whose attempt to snap a selfie of him and his totally chill pet rattlesnake almost cost him his life, not to mention $153,161 and twenty-five cents in medical bills.
Fassler was sent to two different hospitals where he depleted the entirety of their anti-venom stashes, which resulted in a whopping charge of $83,000. While it remains unclear whether or not Fassler has any insurance (and thereby has to pay all of these costs out of pocket), hopefully this is one mistake he won’t have to make twice.
The CDC (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/snakes/) estimates that between 7,000 and 8,000 people get bitten by venomous snakes in the United States every year, with only five or six bites resulting in death. While this leaves the odds in the victims’ favor, it’s probably still not a good idea to risk your life for the sake of a selfie. Your bank account thanks you.
And for all of you left concerned for the plight of poor Todd Fassler, don’t worry, he’s already set that snake free. So if you’re in San Diego, watch out: there’s a rattlesnake out there whose appetite for selfies has already been whetted. Be careful where you point that selfie stick.