A 48-year-old Arizona man who has now been bitten by rattlesnakes four times in four years narrowly survived his latest encounter, after an argument with his wife on their 20th wedding anniversary drove him to a remote campsite where a Western diamondback was waiting.
Jason Hackett of Chino Valley, Arizona, stepped out of his camper on the night of July 29 to relieve himself near a tree at a remote site in Perkinsville, a rugged area in the state's interior. He clicked on a flashlight. A Western diamondback rattlesnake lunged and sank its fangs into his calf.
It was Hackett's fourth snakebite in four years, and this time, the venom nearly killed him before rescuers could reach him across terrain too rough for an ambulance.
Hackett told AZ Central the trip was impulsive. He and his wife Tammy had gotten into an argument on their 20th wedding anniversary, and he needed space.
"It was a spur-of-the-moment camping trip. Me and my wife had a little spat, so I just needed to get away for a little bit."
He drove out to Perkinsville, cracked open a six-pack, and settled in for the night. When nature called, he grabbed his flashlight and walked to a nearby tree.
Hackett described the moment to AZ Central plainly:
"I just finished off a six-pack of beer, because who goes camping without beer? And I had to use the restroom, so I walked up to a tree that was right next to my van, turned on my flashlight, and there it was."
The snake struck his calf. Within moments, burning pain tore through his leg. Muscle cramps followed. Lightheadedness set in.
"It felt like I had acid pouring down my leg."
Hackett managed to call Tammy, the same wife he had walked out on hours earlier. She called 911.
Perkinsville sits in remote country, and the terrain made a standard ambulance response impossible. Yavapai County Sheriff's Office deputies arrived at the campsite after up to 40 minutes. Bodycam footage captured them coaching Hackett through the crisis.
One deputy kept his voice steady:
"Focus on keeping good, deep breathing. Stay calm. We don't want your heart rate to get up too fast. Good, deep breathing."
Another checked whether Hackett was still lucid: "Hey buddy, I need you to talk to me, okay? Do you know where you're at?" The footage showed Hackett struggling as deputies worked to stabilize him. They told him to elevate his leg above his heart and stay as still as possible.
Because no ambulance could navigate the terrain, deputies called a rescue helicopter. Hackett was airlifted to a hospital in Phoenix, where doctors administered at least seven vials of antivenom. He spent multiple days in the hospital before being released.
More than a month later, Hackett told reporters his leg still hurt.
Hackett is an amputee and an avid bow hunter. The specific details of his amputation and his first three rattlesnake bites were not described in his interviews. But the pattern is extraordinary: four venomous snakebites in four consecutive years, each one survived.
He credited the timing to something simpler than bad luck. Hackett told AZ Central he saw the anniversary-night bite as a kind of cosmic payback for walking out on Tammy.
"I guess that's karma for splitting up on our anniversary night."
He told 12 News the ordeal left a mark beyond the physical wound: "It was traumatic. It was truly traumatic."
But Hackett said he has no plans to stay indoors. He told AZ Central he intends to keep hunting and camping, with one adjustment.
"First things first, I'm going to get me a set of those snake chaps."
Beyond his own safety, Hackett said he wants his story to serve as a warning for others who spend time outdoors.
"But what I really want is to make sure other people are aware of their surroundings when they're camping, hiking, or outside with their children."
Thomas Jones, the amphibians and reptiles program manager at the Arizona Game and Fish Department, noted in a statement that Arizona has more rattlesnake species than any other state. The department advises hikers and campers to watch their step, use flashlights at night, and stick to marked trails.
For anyone bitten, the agency's guidance is straightforward: remain calm, call 911, remove jewelry from the affected area to prevent swelling complications, and limit movement. Those are the same steps Hackett and the responding deputies followed on the night of July 29, steps that likely saved his life given the 40-minute wait and the helicopter ride to Phoenix.
Four rattlesnake bites in four years, a marriage that survived the anniversary he almost didn't, and a man who still plans to head back into the Arizona wild with a bow in hand. If that's not stubborn American grit, it's at least a strong argument for snake chaps.
