Posted by Todd Evans on August 24, 2001 at 09:34:27:
From Pittsburgh post gazette DA investigating snake attack on girl Friday, August 24, 2001 Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck said yesterday his office is investigating the events surrounding Wednesday's attack of a 10-foot-long Burmese python that left an 8-year-old girl critically injured.
Amber Mountain remained at Children's Hospital yesterday after she was attacked by one of her family's five exotic snakes. Police said her father, Robert, is a snake enthusiast.
"At this point, the investigation is still ongoing," Peck said. "But the indication of witnesses has been that it was a snake that caused the injury to Mr. Mountain's daughter."
Peck said detectives from his office are assisting in the investigation at the request of Irwin Police Chief John Karasek.
Amber's mother, Marcie, told police she found her daughter on the floor of the kitchen with the snake coiled around her neck. Marcie Mountain was able to get the snake off her daughter before summoning help.
Paramedics said the girl was not breathing and had no pulse when they arrived at the Mountain home about 11:15 a.m. Wednesday.
Officials at Children's said Wednesday the girl was in a coma and in critical condition. But yesterday hospital officials said the family requested that no information be released concerning Amber's condition.
Wednesday's attack was the second tragedy to befall one of the Mountains' children.
On March 14, 1996, the Mountains lost a child in an incident the Allegheny County coroner's office ruled an accident.
Robert Mountain told investigators that his 3-month-old daughter, Brittany, had been sleeping with him at home in Irwin when he rolled onto her.
She was unresponsive when he woke up, and she was pronounced dead at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh.
The coroner's office ruled that she died accidentally of asphyxiation caused by the compression of her chest.
