Snake bites surging across America
Jesse Watters highlights a troubling upsurge in snake bites sweeping the United States this summer. In an alarming revelation, California has already surpassed its annual quota for lethal snake bites. Watters recounts the harrowing ordeal of Chris, who endured severe injuries that necessitated 36 vials of antivenom after he was bitten by a Western rattlesnake. He also shares the distressing tale of a two-year-old girl from Colorado who had to be airlifted to the hospital following an encounter with a rattlesnake.
In Southern California, one family’s scare serves as a stark reminder to exercise caution, especially in this particularly active snake season. Their three-year-old daughter suffered a rattlesnake bite from beneath an Amazon package outside their home, adding another case to this season’s rising number of snakebite incidents.
This terrifying event follows just weeks after another incident where a hiker had to be airlifted from a secluded Ventura County trail after being bitten by a rattlesnake.
Earlier this year, Ventura County firefighters disclosed to News Media that they had tackled seven rattlesnake incidents within roughly a month. Officials have linked this spike to unusually warm weather, which has coaxed the snakes out sooner than they traditionally emerge.
Manuel Barajas recounted the frightening moment his daughter, Addy, dashed outside after learning that an Amazon package had been thrown over their front gate. As the little girl reached out for the padded envelope, a Southern Pacific rattlesnake lurking underneath struck her on the left hand.
A Southern Pacific rattlesnake is held by a wrangler in Landers, Calif. A 3-year-old California girl was recently bitten by the species after it hid beneath an Amazon package outside her home. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images, File)
Her mother rushed Addy to a nearby grocery store parking lot, where paramedics met the family before transporting her to a hospital. She was later transferred to a pediatric intensive care unit, where she spent two days receiving additional doses of antivenom.
Wildlife experts say an unusually warm spring has fueled increased rattlesnake activity across California this year, contributing to a rise in snakebite incidents and three reported snakebite deaths statewide.
The latest incident follows several other serious encounters this year. In May, a woman hiking in Ventura County was airlifted to a hospital after being bitten by a rattlesnake on a remote trail. A Thousand Oaks woman also died in March after being bitten while hiking at Wildwood Regional Park.
The snake was underneath a padded Amazon package when it lunged at the 3-year-old child. (Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images, File)
Health officials say anyone bitten by a rattlesnake should seek emergency medical care immediately, remain as still as possible and avoid attempting home remedies that can worsen the injury.
Barajas told Nexstar’s KTLA he hopes sharing his family’s experience will encourage others to stay vigilant around their homes and know which hospitals are equipped to treat pediatric snakebite emergencies.
Experts say California has seen increased rattlesnake activity this year. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images, File)
“She’s doing great now. She’s, I want to say, about 70% recovered,” Barajas said. “She’s still bruised on her left hand where she was bitten. Her spirits are high, her demeanor is great, but she keeps asking why she was bitten by a snake.”
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help the family cover Addy’s medical expenses and lost income while she continues to recover.