Well the answer you question. No. But you friend's dad is lucky. In my experience Eastern Diamondbacks are pretty pissy snakes. They are thick bodied and mean. They have a big strike range too. And most EDB's don't back down. But no he should not have killed the snake. He is just an uninformed person. Also, I seriously hope he buried the head of the snake. If he didn't he is risking other people walking in the woods.