Snake bites are not any fun at all, and this guy must have either been very susceptible to the venom, or he was bitten in an area where the venom could get right into his bloodstream and kill him.
When I was bitten by the copperhead (about 15 years ago); it was on the ankle, and I was able to get to a hospital within a half hour. I remember being really upset that they would not even LOOK at the snakebite until they had first vaccinated me for tuberculosis. They said that a vaccination was a requirement for being treated at that hospital, regardless of what was wrong when you came in.
It didn't make much sense to me because it seemed like if a person was close to dying, the time spent on the test and vaccination might make the difference whether that person lived or died. Fortunately.....I lived.