Dislike Spiders?
Arachnophobia, or the fear of spiders, is incredibly common. Usually, people have no idea which spiders are venomous and which ones are not, but they won’t take any chances. They promptly kill the frightening creatures or run in the opposite direction.
Although the number of spider-related fatalities is very low compared to many other causes of death, this list will give plenty of examples to show that the fear of spiders is completely justified.
10 Ronald Reese
In 2013, a 62-year-old man named Ronald Reese was bitten by a spider while living in Florida. He was doing renovations on his house when he felt a sharp pain in his neck.
He never saw the spider that bit him, but doctors believe that it was probably a brown recluse. They normally hide in garden sheds, garages, and other man-made buildings to keep dry and build their nests. Most people are never aware that these creatures have made a home on their property until it’s too late.
For six months, Reese suffered in pain and underwent multiple medical procedures as the spider venom ravaged his body with poison. In severe cases like Reese’s, recluse bites are accompanied by lesions that leave gaping holes in the body that ooze with pus. The doctors did the best they could to save Ronald Reese, but he eventually died in early 2014.[1]
9 Jayden Burleigh
In 2016, a 22-year-old man named Jayden Burleigh, who loved the outdoors, was walking along the northern coast of New South Wales, Australia. During his bushwalk, he was bitten by a redback spider.
This caused a giant pulsing abscess to form under his arm, which affected his glands. Burleigh stayed in the hospital for four days. The doctors drained the abscess and gave him antibiotics for the bite. It is unclear whether he got the redback antivenom. The doctors believed that he would recover, so they sent him home.
Redback spider bites are quite common in Australia, and most people survive once they are treated. However, the healing process can be different for everyone. In Burleigh’s case, he had been in a car accident a week before the spider bite so his body was already in a weakened state. He continued to feel sick and died about a week later.[2]
8 Scott Clement
The McCormick & Schmick’s Harborside restaurant in Portland, Oregon, was infested with spiders in 2018. The owners called an extermination company called Ecolab to spray and get rid of the infestation.
Many businesses have yearly contracts with exterminators under which they pay a fee in advance for unlimited on-demand services. Obviously, a restaurant has to comply with health codes whenever there is any trace of vermin.
However, Ecolab never showed up. The restaurant called them multiple times, and yet they never came to spray for the spiders. Restaurant manager Scott Clement was bitten by a brown recluse spider and ended up in the hospital for three days.
Brown recluse bites can lead to red, open sores and ulcers as well as physical aches, pains, and nausea. Clement is now suing the extermination company for nearly $1 million.[3]
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