Latest news with #Geiger
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Man Tries to Save Snake Not Knowing It Was Venomous. He Spent 2 Nights in the Hospital After Getting Bitten
New York City writer Dan Geiger tried to save a snake he spotted while cycling in New Jersey Although he didn't know it at the time, the snake was venomous — and ended up biting him In images shared by Hackensack University Medical Center, where he had to stay for two nights to recover, the writer's finger was captured with a swollen black woundA man tried to help move a snake out of the road and got a nasty bite in the process. Dan Deiger was cycling in New Jersey's Palisades Cliffs on Wednesday, May 21, when he saw a small snake, according to a Hackensack Memorial Health press release. Not wanting the serpent to be injured by a bike, the writer — who lives in New York City — decided he was going to help move the creature away. However, unbeknownst to him, it was a venomous Copperhead. 'He first tried nudging the snake with his water bottle, hoping it would slither away,' the hospital wrote. 'When it didn't budge, Dan made a split-second decision he now regrets. He reached out with his hand. In a flash, the snake struck, sinking its fangs into his finger.' "Dan immediately knew something was wrong. Although he didn't know what type of snake it was, he assumed based on how much he was bleeding, it was venomous," the hospital continued. Fortunately, he was able to flag down two strangers to call 911. Geiger told local Fox affiliate WNYW that ultimately, his 'hand was just too close to its head." "It struck me with precision and speed," he added. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. While it's rare for someone to die from a Copperhead snake's venom, a limb can be seriously damaged as a result of the bite, according to Hackensack Memorial Health. 'It contains toxins that break down tissue, causing intense pain, swelling, blistering, and even tissue death (necrosis),' they explained. The venom also disrupts blood clotting, leading to internal bleeding and further complications. The longer the venom circulates, the more widespread the damage.' In pictures shared by Hackensack Memorial Health, the snake bite victim's index finger featured a swollen, black wound. According to the hospital, Geiger stayed there for two nights before being discharged — but he still 'won't be using his hand for another week or so until the residual swelling and bruising subsides." 'He still loves the Palisades and its wildlife, but he's learned a valuable lesson: admire from a distance," the hospital wrote. "He'll think twice before intervening again, no matter how good his intentions." Read the original article on People
News18
23-05-2025
- Health
- News18
Cyclist's Attempt To Rescue Snake From Being Run Over Ends With Venomous Bite
Last Updated: New York cyclist's good deed goes wrong after he's bitten by a venomous copperhead snake while trying to move it off a road. News18 A New York-based cyclist was bitten by a venomous snake after he tried to save it from being run over by traffic, leading to a hospital visit and a badly swollen finger. Dan Geiger, a Manhattan-based writer, was cycling along the Palisades Cliffs in New Jersey when he spotted what looked like a lethargic copperhead snake lying across the road. Fearing it would be crushed by a passing vehicle, he attempted to gently nudge it off the path. But the rescue attempt backfired. 'I just sort of nudged again, and I was just too close," Geiger told local broadcaster Fox5, describing how the snake struck him on the finger with 'precision and speed." Officials at the Hackensack University Medical Center, where he was treated, said Geiger's finger turned deep purple and swelled alarmingly. Two passersby helped him call emergency services and he was rushed to hospital, where doctors administered antivenom to stop the venom from spreading further. Doctors say while antivenom halts the worsening of symptoms, it does not reverse damage already caused. 'It just stops things from getting worse," said Dr Daria Falkowitz, a medical toxicologist at the hospital, while speaking to the broadcaster. 'It just stops things from getting worse, and so whatever tissue damage has already occurred prior to receiving it, is there. Though initially it doesn't look bad, the damage has been done, so we expect some progression over a day or two," she further added. Geiger spent two nights under observation and has since been discharged, though doctors have advised that he won't be able to use his hand for at least a week. Copperhead snakes are venomous but rarely fatal. They are found in parts of North America, including New Jersey. Experts say such snakes generally avoid human contact, and incidents like this are uncommon. Copperhead snakes, native to parts of the eastern and central US, typically grow between 2 and 3 feet in length. Known for their distinctive copper-colored heads and hourglass-shaped patterns on their bodies, they are among the most commonly encountered venomous snakes in the region. While their bites are rarely fatal, they can cause significant tissue damage and require prompt medical attention. According to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United States sees about 7,000 to 8,000 venomous snake bites annually, with an average of five fatalities each year First Published: May 24, 2025, 00:00 IST
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
A fire, a fascination with explosives and family discord marked path to clinic bombing
Long before Guy Bartkus' personal war against life ended with him the sole suspect in blowing up a fertility clinic, and himself, there was a fascination with pyrotechnics. In a stream of videos posted to a YouTube site that law enforcement officials say they believe belonged to Bartkus, only a single one fell in the genre of modern male youth: a war games video game clip. The rest run through solitary experiments in chemistry, physics and explosives: A hydrogen balloon is set on fire. M-80s explode in the desert sand. A bucket of radioactive uranium ore sets a Geiger counter wailing. In one video, a small tube of a "melt cast" explosive punches a deep socket into a heavy metal bar, detonating so loudly the sound rockets from one bouldered slope to another. "Holy s—!," a young man laughs in amazed delight. It is the same voice captured on a 30-minute audio manifesto that investigators tie to Bartkus, in which he attempts to explain his animosity toward those who conceive children and seemingly his decision to attack a Palm Springs fertility clinic. On Saturday morning, a bomb was detonated at American Reproductive Centers in Palm Springs, destroying much of the building, injuring four people and killing the bomber. Bartkus is the sole suspect in the bombing, which the FBI has labeled as domestic terrorism. DNA tests of body parts found at the scene show Bartkus was killed in the blast. The FBI case investigators, as well as law enforcement sources, characterize the 25-year-old as having "nihilistic ideations," conclusions drawn from social media postings they link to Bartkus. In those public postings, Bartkus argued that procreation without consent of the unborn is unethical and unjustifiable in a world struggling with environmental harm, violence and overpopulation. Law enforcement sources told The Times that they are also looking into whether childhood trauma laid the foundation for his beliefs. Bartkus' father, who has not seen him in over a decade, told The Times he was unaware of his son's extremist views. "It's like, this is not my son,' said Richard Bartkus, 75. 'I haven't seen him in 10 years, but I still know his heart. His heart was more for helping people, not destroying people." The full picture of Guy Edward Bartkus is far from complete. But an interview with his father, as well as legal filings in San Bernardino County Superior Court, offer a window into the discord that shadowed Bartkus' upbringing. His childhood was touched by divorce, allegations of abuse and a keen early interest in explosives. Little has been made public about his adult life — other than he held a string of short-term jobs, working on an electronics assembly line and as a school bus monitor for special needs children. Neither his mother or sister, with whom he reportedly lived in Twentynine Palms, could be reached for comment. The online trail that authorities are scouring to glean some insight into Bartkus' motives include a website that appears dedicated to the Palm Springs bombing. It features a 30-minute recording that site data indicates was uploaded at the time of the explosion, and promises a video — never posted — of the blast. There are also YouTube videos under a web alias associated with Bartkus, and threads on Reddit and a suicide forum. In those, Bartkus voiced despondence over the death of a "best friend," Sophie, a woman who lived in Washington who ran multiple social media sites espousing radical feminism, veganism and intentional suicide. She died in April, allegedly shot in the head by her partner. That man told police he was acting at her request. In the end, grief may have played a part in Bartkus' self-destruction. "I won't allow my brain to get over you, Sophie," the bomber wrote in the hidden comment code of his website. "There's no reason to anyways..." Born in Waterbury, Conn., Bartkus moved to California with his family when he was about 1 1/2, according to his father. After settling in North Palm Springs, the family moved to Joshua Tree and Yucca Valley. He was a curious boy who liked to experiment, the father said. He told of returning to their Yucca Valley rental home one day and seeing his 9-year-old son hide something under the shed and hurry indoors. He assumed his son was just racing to beat him to the computer. "But he had a little fire going,' said Richard Bartkus. 'He pushed it under the shed, thinking that the sand would put it out. But it didn't, it caught the shed on fire. And when the shed caught on fire, it spread to the house and burned the house down.' He said his son took it hard. 'He felt really bad,' said Richard Bartkus. "For a while, he kind of shied away from everybody." In his teens, Guy Bartkus ramped up his experiments with stink bombs and rockets. His father said he became stricter with his son, worried that the fascination with explosives was getting out of hand. "First of all, you start building small explosives," he said. "Next thing you know, you want to go a little bigger. You're making those little poppers. Next, you want to get a little louder. You start making these little rockets. But they only go so far. ... Now you're doing more of a homemade gunpowder. Before you know it, you just gone too far." Richard Bartkus said he and Guy's mother, Dianne Bartkus, disagreed on how to handle their son. Their family life appeared to become increasingly fractious. In August 2012, Dianne Bartkus moved out of the family's home with their two children. Soon after, she sought a restraining order against Richard Bartkus. In court documents, she described feeling 'scared of his irrational behavior' and 'threatened' by her husband. In one instance, she alleged in court filings, Richard Bartkus visited her at the smoke shop where she worked and brought a sniper rifle. 'If I catch you with another man within the next three months, I'll shoot him 10 times in the head or between the eyes,' he allegedly said. 'His random behavior scares me and I am worried for the safety of my children,' she said in court documents. The court files also include Richard Bartkus' rebuttals of her allegations. He denied mistreating her or the children — 'unless you call my yelling at them for the cuss words they use and nasty shows and music they watch and listen to abuse. I call it being a good parent.' The court granted Dianne Bartkus' request for a restraining order, but gave the father visitation rights. Guy was 13 at the time, and his sister, Regina, was 14. In November 2013, Dianne Bartkus filed for divorce. Richard Bartkus said he had not seen his son since a visit in 2014. He'd had a heart attack, he said, and his ex-wife and children came to feed him and drop off medication. In a 2015 request to amend the restraining order to include the children, Dianne Bartkus said there had been 'few visitations' between the father and children due to 'emotional/verbal abuse.' She alleged Richard Bartkus had mocked his son's sexuality — a charge he denied to The Times, saying his wife made up stories to make him look bad. Still, in 2021, an Instagram account with the name Richard Bartkus publicly ridiculed Guy Bartkus for burning down the family home. "Guy Bartkus decided he was smart enough to play with stick matches outside and burned down the whole house and everything in it, and now he thinks he is so smart and so perfect and never made any mistakes in life.' Richard Bartkus told The Times he was responding to another post from his son, now deleted, accusing him of being too hard on his son. "He was trying to come off like everything was my fault," he said. "I tried to explain to him the reasons why I got so strict on him. He burned my house down! Me and my wife, my kids are in the house. You destroy all of our property by burning the whole house down. I'm gonna come down strict on you!" Ultimately, Richard Bartkus said his son was "a good kid," smart and inquisitive, who built his own computers at an early age. In high school, he said, his son got Cs and Ds, until he switched to the district's independent study program. With one-on-one attention, he said, his son turned into an A and B student. His son, he said, ended up graduating with honors from Yucca Valley High School. Richard Bartkus did not attend the graduation. In 2019, at 18, Guy Bartkus began to post videos of his desert explosions on a YouTube channel called "IndictEvolution." The videos have since been taken down, but The Times was able to access them through an archival site. Law enforcement sources confirmed they have been linked to Bartkus. Early on, the videos fall into the realm of hobbyist experiments: He exploded a small hydrogen balloon; he concocted glass beakers of acids. But by the time Bartkus was 24, his videos show him playing with some of the most dangerous explosives accessible to amateur hobbyists. He demonstrates detonation of erythritol tetranitrate (ETN), characterized in scientific literature as nearly as powerful as plastic explosives used by the military. That year, the username on a gaming platform tied to Bartkus' email address was "Pyrotechnical." In that same period, Bartkus' rhetoric on alternative social media sites was dark. "I would not acknowledge reproduction as a human right, but instead as a form of rape," IndictEvolution wrote on in July 2023. "I am also not bothered by infanticide as long as it is done humanely..." In early May, Bartkus engaged with a suicide discussion site, presenting data from his tests on ingesting weak doses of sodium nitrite or seeking to generate carbon monoxide within a car, alongside graphs and charts. "I'm glad I'm an extremist," he wrote. "Makes me WAY less tethered to this turd of a planet." He volunteered that he wanted to kill himself by strapping an explosive to his head, setting the timer for one hour and drugging himself to sleep. He said he lacked access to any drug stronger than codeine. Available explosives were not the problem. Then on Thursday night, he reached out to the forum again. He said he planned to kill himself in his car, with a chemical reaction that would produce carbon monoxide, along with "some extra drama that I probably should not say haha." Times staff writers Libor Jany and Melody Gutierrez contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
20-05-2025
- Los Angeles Times
A fire, a fascination with explosives and family discord marked path to clinic bombing
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — Long before Guy Bartkus' personal war against life ended with him the sole suspect in blowing up a fertility clinic, and himself, there was a fascination with pyrotechnics. In a stream of videos posted to a YouTube site that law enforcement officials say they believe belonged to Bartkus, only a single one fell in the genre of modern male youth: a war games video game clip. The rest run through solitary experiments in chemistry, physics and explosives: A hydrogen balloon is set on fire. M-80s explode in the desert sand. A bucket of radioactive uranium ore sets a Geiger counter wailing. In one video, a small tube of a 'melt cast' explosive punches a deep socket into a heavy metal bar, detonating so loudly the sound rockets from one bouldered slope to another. 'Holy s—!,' a young man laughs in amazed delight. It is the same voice captured on a 30-minute audio manifesto that investigators tie to Bartkus, in which he attempts to explain his animosity toward those who conceive children and seemingly his decision to attack a Palm Springs fertility clinic. On Saturday morning, a bomb was detonated at American Reproductive Centers in Palm Springs, destroying much of the building, injuring four people, and killing the bomber. Bartkus is the sole suspect in the bombing, which the FBI has labeled as domestic terrorism. DNA tests of body parts found at the scene show Bartkus was killed in the blast. The FBI case investigators, as well as law enforcement sources, characterize the 25-year-old as having 'nihilistic ideations,' conclusions drawn from social media postings they link to Bartkus. In those public postings, Bartkus argued that procreation without consent of the unborn is unethical and unjustifiable in a world struggling with environmental harm, violence and overpopulation. Law enforcement sources told The Times that they are also looking into whether childhood trauma laid the foundation for his beliefs. Bartkus' father, who has not seen him in over a decade, told The Times he was unaware of his son's extremist views. 'It's like, this is not my son,' said Richard Bartkus, 75. 'I haven't seen him in 10 years, but I still know his heart. His heart was more for helping people, not destroying people.' The full picture of Guy Edward Bartkus is far from complete. But an interview with his father, as well as legal filings in San Bernardino County Superior Court, offer a window into the discord that shadowed Bartkus' upbringing. His childhood was touched by divorce, allegations of abuse and a keen early interest in explosives. Little has been made public about his adult life — other than he held a string of short-term jobs, working on an electronics assembly line and as a school bus monitor for special needs children. Neither his mother or sister, with whom he reportedly lived in Twentynine Palms, could be reached for comment. The online trail that authorities are scouring to glean some insight into Bartkus' motives include a website that appears dedicated to the Palm Springs bombing. It includes a 30-minute recording that site data indicates was uploaded at the time of the explosion, and promises a video — never posted — of the blast. There are also YouTube videos under a web alias associated with Bartkus, and threads on Reddit and a suicide forum. In those, Bartkus voiced despondence over the death of a 'best friend,' Sophie, a woman who lived in Washington who ran multiple social media sites espousing radical feminism, veganism and intentional suicide. She died in April, allegedly shot in the head by her partner. That man told police he was acting at her request. In the end, grief may have played a part in Bartkus' self-destruction. 'I won't allow my brain to get over you, Sophie,' the bomber wrote in the hidden comment code of his website. 'There's no reason to anyways...' Born in Waterbury, Conn., Bartkus moved to California with his family when he was about 1 1/2, according to his father. After settling in North Palm Springs, the family moved to Joshua Tree and Yucca Valley. He was a curious boy who liked to experiment, the father said. He told of returning to their Yucca Valley rental home one day and seeing his 9-year-old son hide something under the shed and hurry indoors. He assumed his son was just racing to beat him to the computer. 'But he had a little fire going,' said Richard Bartkus. 'He pushed it under the shed, thinking that the sand would put it out. But it didn't, it caught the shed on fire. And when the shed caught on fire, it spread to the house and burned the house down.' Bartkus said his son took it hard. 'He felt really bad,' said Richard Bartkus. 'For a while, he kind of shied away from everybody.' In his teens, Guy Bartkus ramped up his experiments with stink bombs and rockets. His father said he became stricter with his son, worried that the fascination with explosives was getting out of hand. 'First of all, you start building small explosives,' he said. 'Next thing you know, you want to go a little bigger. You're making those little poppers. Next, you want to get a little louder. You start making these little rockets. But they only go so far. ... Now you're doing more of a homemade gunpowder. Before you know it, you just gone too far.' Richard Bartkus said he and Guy's mother, Dianne Bartkus, disagreed on how to handle their son. Their family life appeared to become increasingly fractious. In August 2012, Dianne Bartkus moved out of the family's home with their two children. Soon after, she sought a restraining order against Richard Bartkus. In court documents, she described feeling 'scared of his irrational behavior' and 'threatened' by her husband. In one instance, she alleged in court filings, Richard Bartkus visited her at the smoke shop where she worked and brought a sniper rifle. 'If I catch you with another man within the next three months, I'll shoot him 10 times in the head or between the eyes,' he allegedly said. 'His random behavior scares me and I am worried for the safety of my children,' she said in court documents. The court files also include Richard Bartkus' rebuttals of her allegations. He denied mistreating her or the children — 'unless you call my yelling at them for the cuss words they use and nasty shows and music they watch and listen to abuse. I call it being a good parent.' The court granted Dianne Bartkus' request for a restraining order, but gave the father visitation rights. Guy was 13 at the time, and his sister, Regina, was 14. In November 2013, Dianne Bartkus filed for divorce. Richard Bartkus said he had not seen his son since a visit in 2014. He'd had a heart attack, he said, and his ex-wife and children came to feed him and drop off medication. In a 2015 request to amend the restraining order to include the children, she said there had been 'few visitations' between the father and children due to 'emotional/verbal abuse.' She alleged Richard Bartkus had mocked his son's sexuality — a charge he denied to The Times, saying his wife made up stories to make him look bad. Still, in 2021, an Instagram account with the name Richard Bartkus publicly ridiculed Guy Bartkus for burning down the family home. 'Guy Bartkus decided he was smart enough to play with stick matches outside and burned down the whole house and everything in it, and now he thinks he is so smart and so perfect and never made any mistakes in life.' Richard Bartkus told The Times he was responding to another post from his son, now deleted, accusing him of being too hard on him. 'He was trying to come off like everything was my fault,' he said. 'I tried to explain to him the reasons why I got so strict on him. He burned my house down! Me and my wife, my kids are in the house. You destroy all of our property by burning the whole house down. I'm gonna come down strict on you!' Ultimately, Richard Bartkus said his son was 'a good kid,' smart and inquisitive, who built his own computers at an early age. In high school, he said, his son got Cs and Ds, until he switched to the district's independent study program. With one-on-one attention, he said, he turned into an A and B student. His son, he said, ended up graduating with honors from Yucca Valley High School. Richard Bartkus did not attend the graduation. In 2019, at 18, Guy Bartkus began to post videos of his desert explosions on a YouTube channel called 'IndictEvolution.' The videos have since been taken down, but The Times was able to access them through an archival site. Law enforcement sources confirmed they have been linked to Bartkus. Early on, the videos fall into the realm of hobbyist experiments: He exploded a small hydrogen balloon; he concocted a glass beakers of acids. But by the time Bartkus was 24, his videos show him playing with some of the most dangerous explosives accessible to amateur hobbyists. He demonstrates detonation of erythritol tetranitrate (ETN), characterized in scientific literature as nearly as powerful as plastic explosives used by the military. That year, the username on a gaming platform tied to Bartkus' email address was 'Pyrotechnical.' In that same period, Bartkus' rhetoric on alternative social media sites was dark. 'I would not acknowledge reproduction as a human right, but instead as a form of rape,' IndictEvolution wrote on in July 2023. 'I am also not bothered by infanticide as long as it is done humanely...' In early May, Bartkus engaged with a suicide discussion site, presenting data from his tests on ingesting weak doses of sodium nitrite or seeking to generate carbon monoxide within a car, alongside graphs and charts. 'I'm glad I'm an extremist,' he wrote. 'Makes me WAY less tethered to this turd of a planet.' He volunteered that he wanted to kill himself by strapping an explosive to his head, setting the timer for one hour and drugging himself to sleep. He said he lacked access to any drug stronger than codeine. Available explosives were not the problem. Then on Thursday night, he reached out to the forum again. He said he planned to kill himself in his car, with a chemical reaction that would produce carbon monoxide, along with 'some extra drama that I probably should not say haha.' Times staff writers Libor Jany and Melody Gutierrez contributed to this report.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
I want a relationship, not out of love or passion, but out of fear of the future. Is this selfish?
I've come to a moment in my life I never expected; I'm contemplating starting a relationship, not out of love or passion, but out of fear – fear of the future. I always thought I'd be above such reasoning. But witnessing illness up close, seeing the care my father received from his wife and us children, the comfort of not being alone in a hospital bed, shook me more than I was prepared for. It's a quiet but profound shift inside me. I stopped seeking out companionship a few years ago, deliberately. I did try but none of the few women I dated stirred anything close to love in me. So, as a 55-year-old man, I told myself it just wasn't worth it: the arguments, the jealousy, the constant need to defend one's need for solitude – especially for someone like me, deeply introverted by nature. So here I am, caught between a single status that has brought me a decent measure of peace and the quiet realisation that, as the years go by, life will only grow more difficult – if I'm lucky enough to keep living it. I don't know what to do. Eleanor says: It sounds as though you were quite shaken by the experience of watching your father's illness. I wonder: why should we be 'above' reasoning that comes from that place? What's base about wanting a relationship in part because you don't like the look of life without one? 'I'd prefer not to be alone in the last chapter in my life.' Why is that more bizarre or embarrassing as a reason for a relationship than 'I prefer not to live without physical touch', or, 'I prefer to have someone to chat to in the evenings?' Lots of the reasons we want a relationship boil off to not much liking the look of life without one. Part of that can be that we don't want to die alone. I don't think this has to be capitulation, fear or a bad reason for being in a relationship. I think it's quite a normal and nice thing to want. Shifting into that way of seeing things might even help with a relationship itself. Related: I want to start dating casually. How do I turn off the illogical, hopelessly romantic part of my brain? | Leading questions You say that none of the women you've dated stirred love in you. But finding a relationship of the sort you're talking about – one where you're committed to each other, you help each other in sickness and in health – that isn't just about what other people can evoke in you. It's about whether you can build something together. Of course, your prospective companion has to stir something in you. But that's not the whole story; it's not just a matter of walking into a room holding a romantic Geiger counter and seeing what they can produce in you. You also have to be willing to see what you could produce together. Long-term love isn't just about how well we evaluate the other person. It's also about deciding to love and care for each other no matter what. Like the way you and your siblings cared for your dad – you didn't first look for the best dad, then care for him because of how well he performed on the search. It's in part because of what you've built and shared together that you loved him enough to do that, and so too for his wife. I think evaluation and commitment are constantly passing the baton back and forth in this kind of lifelong, care-by-the-bedside love; I'm committed to be here because you're the best I can imagine and part of why you're the best I can imagine is that I've committed to be here. All that to say, I think love is partly what another person produces in you and partly what you build together. As a friend of mine is fond of saying: wanting a wife is not the same as wanting to be a husband. I don't think you have to look upon this new desire askance, or even as a peculiar response to fear. It's possible it's just a new preference – one you've developed in light of the emotional experience you've just had. Luckily, lots of other people want a relationship for partly these reasons – and lots of other people may be open to seeing what they could build with you.
