- Sam West, 40, was bitten by a blunt-nosed venomous snake at a hotel in Cyprus on April 3rd.
A British tourist has been admitted to intensive care after being bitten by a venomous snake while meditating on a trip to Cyprus to celebrate his 40th birthday.
Sam West, 40, from Shifnal, Shropshire, was bitten by a five-foot-long blunt-nosed viper as he prepared to begin a meditation session at the Atlantica Aphrodite Hills Hotel on April 3. Ta.
“Before I could react, he bit me just above my left ankle,” she told the BBC.
“I started shaking the snake off, screaming that I had just been bitten by a snake.”
“My feet were burning and throbbing and the pain was instantaneous,” she added. Hotel staff quickly came to her aid and she was taken to A&E, where she was told she was in urgent need of anti-venom.
Mr West, who is on holiday in Cyprus with his wife, had to spend four days in intensive care and another day in a separate ward.
She was finally discharged to a hotel after receiving medication last Monday.
She has been relying on a wheelchair to get around since photos showed her leg was severely bruised and swollen from the snake bite.
Ms West currently pays £260 a night for an accessible room.
She is currently waiting for an update from her insurance company on when she can return to the UK, having been unable to fly until today.
Ms West said the hotel had cleared trees around the meditation table where she was bitten and called repeatedly for pest control.
Additionally, the meditation session was then moved to the hotel’s dance studio.
She reportedly received more than 350 messages since the incident and was supported by TUI staff.
West said employees rushed to help her when she was bitten.
TUI UK & Ireland told the BBC it was “aware” that Ms West was bitten by a viper at the hotel, adding that the safety of its guests was its “top priority”.
