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  1. #1
    Registered User Slithers's Avatar
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    Indiana Man Killed By 14ft Python

    http://www.wishtv.com/global/story.asp?s=5364548

    Southern Indiana Man Found Dead after Handling Python

    An autopsy found 23-year-old Patrick Von Allmen was in fact squeezed to death by his 14-foot pet Python. Indiana Conservation officers say the autopsy performed Tuesday morning, determined his death was caused by asphyxiation around the neck and chest.

    Von Allmen of Lanesville Indiana was found Monday morning lying on the floor of a shed located behind his residence by a family member. Von Allmen had stated to family members that he was going to treat the snake for a medical condition before entering the building. He had been in the shed for about three hours before he was discovered lying unresponsive with the Python free from confinement nearby.

    The family had obtained the snake five months ago as a pet. Patrick Von Allmen was, according to family members, well versed with snakes and had 10 to 12 years of experience handling reptiles. The Python was recaptured and retained by the victim's family.

    Indiana Conservation Officers state that the 14 foot Reticulated Python was possessed legally under current Indiana Law.

    -- Information from a press release from the Indiana Conservation Office

  2. #2
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    Re: Indiana Man Killed By 14ft Python

    That is annoying. Indiana is probably going to push legislation to make it illegal to own one now...

  3. #3
    BPnet Veteran stangs13's Avatar
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    Re: Indiana Man Killed By 14ft Python

    I heart indian food!! And so do retics i guess!!!!!!!

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  5. #4
    Registered User Slithers's Avatar
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    Re: Indiana Man Killed By 14ft Python

    Theres a popup java video of the story on the website. theres a link for it on the left...above the picture of the guy that died.

    http://www.wave3.com/global/story.asp?s=5368163

    Autopsy Confirms Owner Crushed To Death By Pet Python

    By Anne Marshall

    (LANESVILLE, Ind.) -- A 23-year-old Southern Indiana man is dead after being attacked by his pet snake. It happened in Lanesville, Indiana Monday evening. An autopsy report shows Patrick Von Allmen's 14-foot python crushed him to death. WAVE 3's Anne Marshall has the story.

    It was a frightening end for a man who lived with little fear.

    "It's so disturbing," says Patrick Von Alleman's neighbor of 18 years, Nancy Reinert. "When I first moved here, he was just a child, and he used to come over here and ask questions. He was always trying to learn, always curious."

    After Patrick's early teenage years, Nancy says she noticed a growing fondness of snakes. "I'd see him out in the yard with a snake around his neck, showing the little kids in the neighborhood."

    Monday night one of Patrick's 15 snakes, a 14-foot Reticulated Python, wrapped itself around his shoulders and neck, crushing him to death.

    It was around 5 o'clock Monday evening when Patrick told his family he was going to go treat the snake for a condition known as "mouth rot." Three hours later, his family found him dead in their back shed, with the snake moving about unconfined.

    "Wild animals don't necessarily make good pets," says Indiana Conservation Officer Mark Farmer.

    With no witnesses, Farmer says they'll never know what prompted the snake to attack its owner. Patrick had gotten the snake as a pet about five months ago.

    Says Farmer: "This is a tragic example of how a person experienced in handling animals lost his life due to a snake overpowering him."

    For now, Reinert says her thoughts are with the young man who still had so much ahead and the family he leaves behind. "They're a good Christian family. They're just great people, that's all there is to it."

    The python's weight is estimated at around 100 pounds. Patrick's body had no bite marks on it. It is legal to have a python in Indiana because it is not a venomous snake.

    The snake was captured and given back to the family. They haven't decided whether they will keep it.

  6. #5
    BPnet Senior Member Nate's Avatar
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    Re: Indiana Man Killed By 14ft Python

    geez i think I will stick with ball pythons for a while...

  7. #6
    Registered User Slithers's Avatar
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    Re: Indiana Man Killed By 14ft Python

    The snake itself is not inherently dangerous. Handling the 14 foot python ALONE...is dangerous...especially treating it for mouth rot alone. Or performing any other medical treatment for that matter.

    RIP Patrick, my thoughts and prayers are with the family, but after 10-12 years of experience handling snakes and reptiles, HE SHOULD KNOW BETTER!!! it was the handlers negligence that got him killed...obviously.

    sorry but news like this is very very upsetting. his death was unnecessary to say the least. he could still be alive if he exercised proper handling.

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  9. #7
    BPnet Veteran jknudson's Avatar
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    Re: Indiana Man Killed By 14ft Python

    That's definitely too bad, but with all of his snake experience he should of known it was unwise to handle it alone...
    Jason

  10. #8
    BPnet Senior Member joepythons's Avatar
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    Unhappy Re: Indiana Man Killed By 14ft Python

    Wow thats sad .He should have known better to try and treat a large python for mouth rot all by himself .I bet the snake freaked out and reacted and in turn squeezed him to death.We will see how the lawmakers react to this one
    Joe Haggard

  11. #9
    Registered User digcolnagos's Avatar
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    Re: Indiana Man Killed By 14ft Python

    OK, I'm gonna get yelled at here, but...


    Realizing there's a difference between responsible ownership and irresponsible ownership, and recognizing I've only owned my own BP for a bit more than a month now, I'm torn about whether really big snakes should be legal. From this forum, I've learned there are a lot of responsible folks out there who really do know what they're doing, and what they're in for. On the other hand, they are outnumbered, methinks, by those who don't. And that's reason enough, I think, for Burms and others to be outlawed unless the owner has some sort of license and can demonstrate they're up to the task.

    This guy from Indiana might well have been. Still, by trying to handle that snake alone, he made what proved to be a fatal error. I know: Stuff happens.

    More to the point, I've read more than a few articles about Burms running wild in Florida after being released by pet owners who found they couldn't handle an animal that outweighs them and can't be left alone for a vacation longer than three days because they can't find anyone who has the stomach or knowledge to feed it. Just today, I was cruising craigslist and found someone who was trying to unload a pair of year-old Burms. Then I went to the pet store to get a frozen mouse for my BP and saw red-tailed boas on sale. The sign didn't say how big they got.

    Apologies for length, but I don't think sales of Burms or reticulateds or anacondas or even red-tailed boas should be unrestricted. Unfortunately, there's a whole lot of humans out there with less sense than a snake, and an equal number eager to make a buck from those who don't realize they'll soon need an enclosure the size of a small bathroom with accompanying heat and humidity controls. And for the next three or four decades.

    Think about it. A BP--or any other reptile with equivalent life span--is a HUGE commitment. How many of us can truthfully say we'll always have an understanding landlord, or a secure job with our own house, for as long as these snakes will live? A BP or a corn or a King in an aquarium or plastic tub is one thing. A 100-plus pound snake is quite another.

    I know. I'm new. I probably don't know what I'm talking about. But it seems to me that if aficianados of big snakes don't want the government to enact blanket bans, it's incumbent on them to work to pass laws to ban the sale of such snakes to anyone with a few bucks and a hankering. In short, the community, I think, should police itself before someone else does.

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  13. #10
    BPnet Veteran _BoidFinatic_'s Avatar
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    Re: Indiana Man Killed By 14ft Python

    digcolnagos - I agree with you. I do own a burmese python and I was surprised at how easy it is to obtain them. Although I now the Snake store owner pretty well, he didn't even ask me if I knew what size it is capable of reaching. I though about the 'license' thing for a while and I honestly would not mind having to purchase/apply for one should that come into law. For years, I have been thinking of opening my own Reptile store and I have always wondered if it is legal to require that buyers of larger pythons/boas take a written 'test', most likely created by me. Should the buyer in question 'fail', then I would not sell the animal to that buyer (selling a snake to a responsible, caring owner would be more important to me than making a sale). I would ask that this buyer do more research on the animal. This idea is not 'fail-proof' yet, but I have been thinking about it a lot. Any suggestions on if this would work or if it is even legal?
    Co-owner of a reptile store

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