While attempting to bag the snake, Budden was bitten on his left thumb but was successful in placing the captured snake in a bag. Extracting a promise from the truck driver that he would get the snake to someone who would transport it south to researchers, Budden was taken for medical treatment. Not having any antivenom for taipans, Budden was given tiger snake antivenom. Although that helped counter the coagulating effect of taipan venom, it did not overcome the second effect of the taipan venom which paralyses the nervous system. Though doctors were initially hopeful he would recover, he died the following afternoon.