Antivenom Flight Saved 62-Year-Old Snakebite Victim During 9/11 Grounding

Q: How did a deadly snakebite trigger one of the only civilian flights allowed during the strict 9/11 airspace lockdown?

A life-threatening need for rare antivenom forced federal officials to make an exception to the 9/11 flight shutdown. On Sept. 11, 2001, Miami-Dade Fire Capt. Al Cruz was called to treat Lawrence Van Sertima, an experienced snake handler bitten by an inland taipan, a species regarded as one of the world’s most venomous. Van Sertima’s condition collapsed rapidly: he lost consciousness, suffered severe bleeding, and was put on a ventilator. Cruz brought available antivenom, but doctors determined it was not the precise treatment needed. Cruz and air medical officials then tracked down the correct antivenom, finding supplies at the Bronx Zoo and the San Diego Zoo. The problem was timing: nearly all U.S. civilian flights had been grounded after the terrorist attacks. Through the night, emergency officials sought federal clearance to move the medicine. Just after midnight, the FAA approved a special civilian flight, but only after daybreak. At first light on Sept. 12, a contracted jet departed Fort Lauderdale for San Diego. There, San Diego Harbor Police picked up the antivenom from the zoo in a red cooler and delivered it to the aircraft. The plane flew back to Florida, and the medicine was rushed by helicopter to the hospital. Doctors administered the antivenom in time to save Van Sertima’s life. The episode became one of the few civilian air missions allowed during the lockdown, showing how a rare medical emergency cut through extraordinary national restrictions.

1 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 8

Lawrence Van Sertima, 62, survived a 9/11 inland taipan bite after one of the only post-grounding flights carried rare antivenom from San Diego to Miami.
Miami-Dade Venom One founder Al Cruz first rushed local antivenom to the hospital, but doctors needed a specific serum as Van Sertima fell unconscious and bled from his eyes, ears and gums.
After the Bronx Zoo was ruled out because of the attacks, air ambulance chief Johnny Delgado secured FAA approval after midnight for a daylight jet; San Diego Harbor Police delivered the doses in a red cooler.
Doctors administered the antivenom late on Sept. 12, and Van Sertima later said the snake should not be killed because he, not the animal, had made the mistake.
The episode became a lasting example of how ordinary medical emergencies still demanded extraordinary coordination on a day when U.S. airspace was otherwise shut down.

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The Washington Post2h ago

9/11 Flight Grounding: Antivenom Flight Saves Snakebite Victim Lawrence Van Sertima

Why do modern emergency rooms still rely on distant zoos to supply life-saving treatments for rare venomous snakebites?

How did a deadly snakebite trigger one of the only civilian flights allowed during the strict 9/11 airspace lockdown?

Could synthetic blood proteins from 2026 research finally eliminate the need for frantic cross-country flights to deliver rare snakebite treatments?

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The Washington Post2h ago

9/11 Flight Grounding: Antivenom Flight Saves Snakebite Victim Lawrence Van Sertima

Antivenom Flight Saved 62-Year-Old Snakebite Victim During 9/11 Grounding

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