The US airspace was completely shut down in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, but less than 24 hours later, authorities made an exception for a medical emergency to save a man bitten by one of the world’s most venomous snakes.
Members of the San Diego Harbor Police delivered the medicine to the aircraft in a small red cooler before the plane began its return journey.
Because van Sertima needed antivenom specifically developed for a taipan bite, however, the treatment was insufficient.
Captain Al Cruz of the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue who created the county’s specialised Venom One unit to prepare for and treat snakebite victims, administered all five vials of antivenom available to him, according to a report by The Washington Post .
Cruz spent more than six hours making calls to various agencies in an attempt to get the medicine transported to Miami. Hospital and fire rescue officials eventually escalated the request to the Federal Aviation Administration. A medical helicopter was waiting to transport the antivenom to the hospital. Van Sertima eventually recovered and reflecting on the emergency response, he praised the people who helped get the antivenom to him despite the extraordinary circumstances.
The jet landed in Miami at around 4:30pm at what was then called Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport.
