A hiker in Tennessee was bitten by a rattlesnake and eventually died.

Witnesses said the man, whose identity was not released, picked up the snake while on a trail inside Savage Gulf State Park, in Gruetli-Laager, Tennessee, on Aug. 8, WSMV reported.

Emergency crews were called and CPR was performed on the man. A mobile CPR unit was also used as he was taken to an area hospital, where he died.

A volunteer firefighter went to the man’s home to get his spouse so they could be together, WKRN reported.

Medical personnel believe the man had an allergic reaction to the snake’s venom that led to his death. An official cause of death was not released, Fox News reported.

It is believed that the snake was a Timber rattlesnake, according to Fox News. The type of snake is “the largest, and most dangerous, of the four venomous snakes in Tennessee,” according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency

The agency said a Timber rattlesnake is "a large, heavy-bodied snake (36.0 to 60.0 inches long) with a large, triangular head, vertical pupils, and the characteristic rattle at the end of the tail."

The Smithsonian National Zoo said the snake’s venom is “potent enough to kill a human. A timber rattlesnake bite is a medical emergency. However, timber rattlesnake bites are rare.”

But dying from a bite is rare. The U.S. Forest Service said that less than 1 in 600 rattlesnake bites are fatal, CBS News reported.

It is not known why the man picked up the snake, Fox News reported.

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