A three-year-old girl in California was bitten by a venomous rattlesnake hiding under an Amazon package. Addy Barajas was picking up a gift that had been delivered to her home in Santa Clarita when a Southern Pacific rattlesnake under the brown padded envelope bit her left hand.
Her mother, Lynn, rushed her to first responders in a supermarket car park, who took her to hospital for antivenom treatment. Addy spent two nights in a pediatric intensive care unit and received two additional rounds of antivenom. She has since made a strong recovery.
Father describes terrifying experience
Addy's father, Manuel Barajas, told KTLA: "She's doing great now. I'd say she's about 70 percent recovered. 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 got bitten by a snake."
Barajas was out of town on business when the incident occurred and rushed home. The family now faces significant medical bills from the hospital stay, antivenom treatments, and ICU care. Barajas also missed about a week of work.
GoFundMe campaign launched
Barajas wrote on a GoFundMe page: "I'm reaching out for help after a terrifying experience that turned our world upside down. We are doing everything we can to support Addy's healing, but the costs are overwhelming. We never imagined we'd be in this situation, and it's hard to ask for help, but we need support to get through this difficult time."
At the time of reporting, the campaign had raised more than $13,800 from hundreds of donors.
