Snake bites are all over America
Jesse Watters reports on a sharp increase in snakebites across the United States this summer, noting that California has already exceeded its annual average of fatal bites. Watters describes the critical injuries of Chris, who required 36 vials of antivenine after being bitten by a Western rattlesnake, and a 2-year-old girl in Colorado who was airlifted to a hospital following a rattlesnake attack. This attack raises public safety concerns.
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A Southern California family is urging people to be vigilant after their three-year-old daughter was bitten by a snake hiding under an Amazon package outside their home, the latest in a string of snakebites during an unusual work year across the country.
The horrifying incident comes weeks after a hiker was airlifted from a remote area of Ventura County following a rattlesnake bite.
Earlier this year, Ventura County firefighters told Fox News Digital that they responded to seven rattlesnake bites in about a month, and officials say the hot weather brought the snakes out earlier than usual.
Manuel Barajas said his daughter, Addy, ran outside after her mother told her an Amazon package had been thrown at the family’s front gate. As the 3-year-old reached for the stuffed envelope, a Southern Pacific rattlesnake hid beneath it and bit him on the left hand.
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A Southern Pacific rattlesnake caught by a wrangler in Landers, Calif. A 3-year-old California girl was recently bitten by this type of snake after hiding under 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 with the family before taking her to a local hospital. He was later transferred to the intensive care unit, where he spent two days receiving additional doses of antivenin.
Wildlife experts say an unusually warm spring has spurred an increase in rattlesnakes across California this year, which has contributed to an increase in snakebites and three reported snakebite deaths statewide.
The latest incident follows other serious incidents this year. In May, a woman hiking in Ventura County was airlifted to the hospital after being bitten by a rattlesnake on a remote trail. An Oaks woman also died in March after being bitten while hiking in Wildwood Regional Park.
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The snake was at the bottom of an Amazon package when it lunged at a three-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 attention immediately, stay as still as possible and avoid trying home remedies that could cause injury.
Barajas told Nexstar’s KTLA that he hopes sharing his family’s experience will encourage others to stay vigilant in their homes and know which hospitals are equipped to provide emergency treatment for children bitten by snakes.
Experts say California has seen an increase in rattlesnakes this year. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images, File)
“He’s doing great now. He’s about 70% recovered,” Barajas said. “He is still injured on his left hand where he was bitten. He is in a good mood, he is honorable, but he keeps asking if he was bitten by a snake.”
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A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help the family pay for Addy’s medical expenses and lost wages while she continues her recovery.
