The West Australian
A heavily pregnant woman and her unborn baby who died after a suspected snake bite in the Mid West town of Meekatharra have been identified.
Sinita Martin, known as Nita, managed to call out to relatives for help on Monday night but began having seizures.
It is believed that when St John Ambulance officers arrived at her family’s Main Street home about 8.45pm the 27-year-old, who was 31 weeks pregnant, had gone into cardiac arrest.
She was taken to Meekatharra Hospital but despite the desperate efforts of paramedics and doctors, neither she nor her baby survived.
Ms Martin, who also has a three-year-old son, had recently moved to the town from Perth to be closer to relatives and was living with her mother Evelyn.
She had been outside their home when she was injured but it is not known if anyone else saw a snake.
A family spokeswoman yesterday described Ms Martin as a loving mother who had raised her three brothers.
A relative posted a tribute on social media saying, “My heart breaks for my neph and his partner … a young mum and her baby taken too soon”.
Royal Perth Hospital director of emergency medicine David McCoubrie said snake bites were common in summer months but deaths were very uncommon.
He urged people who came across a snake to try to stay still, let it move away and not try to kill it.
“Our advice to people if they are unlucky enough to be bitten by a snake is to try and relax, to sit down and apply a pressure immobilisation bandage,” Dr McCoubrie said.
“If you arrive at hospital with a pressure bandage in place, the vast majority of people have an excellent outcome.”
This article originally appeared on The West Australian.
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