A 3-year-old girl named Addy from Santa Clarita was bitten by a rattlesnake hiding under an Amazon package near her front door.
The incident occurred when Addy ran outside to retrieve the package, unaware of the Southern Pacific rattlesnake lurking beneath it. She was bitten on her left hand.
Addy’s mother quickly took her to a nearby grocery store parking lot, where they met an ambulance that transported her to a hospital. There, she received her first dose of antivenom. Due to the severity of the bite, Addy was later transferred to another hospital with a pediatric intensive care unit, where she received two more doses of antivenom and spent two days in the ICU.
The incident highlights a recent increase in rattlesnake bites across Southern California, with nearly 250 bites and three fatalities reported by early July. Experts attribute the rise in snake activity to a March heat wave in California. KTLA reports that Addy’s father, Manuel Barajas, is sharing their experience to raise awareness about the dangers of rattlesnakes and the importance of knowing which hospitals are equipped to handle such emergencies.
Barajas expressed gratitude for his daughter’s recovery, stating, “She’s doing great now. She’s about 70% recovered.” Despite the financial strain from medical expenses and missed work, the family is determined to support Addy’s recovery. A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help cover the costs.
This incident is part of a broader pattern of rattlesnake encounters in California. In March, a 25-year-old man died after a rattlesnake bite while mountain biking in Irvine, and another man required 54 vials of antivenom after being bitten twice in the leg. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that 7,000 to 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes annually in the U.S., with only about five fatalities.
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