Teen falls down 100ft cliff and then gets bitten by adder

A teenager survived a 100ft cliff fall in Cornwall - only to be bitten by an adder while trying to scramble back up again.

Brock Leach, 14, suffered a fractured pelvis and severe bruising when he fell over the seaside clifftop after slipping on lichen.

See also: 10 tips on how to holiday in Cornwall on a budget

He had been swimming with his brother, Josh, 16, at Trebarwith Strand near Tintagel, Cornwall.

Josh saw Brock fall over the cliff and scrambled down to help him. While he was helping him move to a higher cliff, Brock felt the snake bite.

According to the Mirror, he said: "I'd never even seen an adder before.

"Josh was helping me back up the cliff when I put my hand in a clump of grass. The next thing I knew the snake appeared and bit me between my fingers.

"I knew it was an adder and poisonous but at first I was more worried about trying to get up the cliff."

Josh left Brock and ran off to get help, flagging down some passersby who called emergency services.

Paramedics, lifeguards, coastguards and a helicopter from RAF Chivenor attended the scene before Brock was flown to the North Devon Hospital in Barnstaple.

His arm had swollen to three times its normal size and he was given anti-venom for the adder bite and kept in overnight before being allowed home.

Speaking to the Cornish Guardian, the boys' mother, Tracey, said: "I'm really proud of them both.

"They were both very, very scared. Josh saw his brother disappear and heard him scream as he went over the ledge. He didn't panic. He scrambled down and he made sure he told the people who came to help that it was an adder bite."

She added: "It could have been a lot worse. Brock took a real battering but his head and face are completely unscathed. He had a very lucky escape."

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