Florida man bitten on the tongue by rattlesnake

BOSTWICK, Fla. -- Authorities say a Florida man leaned in to kiss a rattlesnake - but got bitten instead. 

Ron Reinold was flown to the hospital by helicopter in critical condition after he was bit by the rattlesnake on Tuesday, CBS affiliate WJAX reports.  

Reinold's family told WJAX that he is doing much better Wednesday and is expected to survive.  

It's wasn't immediately clear where the snake came from. It's illegal to keep a rattlesnake in Florida without a license.  

One man, Charles Goff, told WJAX he found the rattlesnake on Monday night. He said he knows how to handle snakes and put it in a tank, but he said his neighbors were playing with the snake when Reinold was bit. 

"The next morning before I got up, they were playing with the snake," Goff told WJAX. "One boy said, 'I'm going to kiss it in the mouth,' and the snake bit him in the face."

Goff said Reinold and another man were being irresponsible by playing with the snake. 

"Ron was just acting silly, you know?" he said. "I guess he said he could kiss the devil and get away with it, but evidently he didn't.

In:
• Florida