A three-year-old girl was bitten by a rattlesnake hiding under an Amazon package outside her family's home in Santa Clarita, California, on 13 July. The child, named Addy, was taken to the intensive care unit after the incident.
Details of the Incident
Addy ran out with her mother, Lynn, to retrieve a package that had been dropped over the gate. A southern Pacific rattlesnake was hiding under the brown padded envelope and bit Addy's left hand, according to her father, Manny Barajas, who wrote about the incident in a fundraising campaign note.
Lynn took Addy to meet first responders at a nearby grocery store parking lot. They administered a dose of anti-venom before transferring her to a hospital with a pediatric ICU, where she received two more doses.
Recovery and Impact
Barajas told KTLA that Addy is doing well now, though her left hand remains bruised. He noted that her spirits are high, but she keeps asking why she was bitten by a snake. Rattlesnake bites have become more common in California this year, with heatwaves since March increasing snake activity. Three people have died this year, about two more than usual. The California poison control system has received reports of 277 bites so far this year, almost as many as in a typical full year.
Rattlesnakes typically avoid humans but will bite when they feel threatened, cornered, or surprised. Requests for comment from California poison control and the Los Angeles County Fire Department were not immediately returned.
