CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — A 7-year-old boy was airlifted from Mount Diablo State Park late Wednesday afternoon when he suffered symptoms consistent with a rattlesnake bite, authorities confirmed.
The boy was on a hike with his mother and other family members when he felt something on his leg, Supervising State Park Ranger Cameron Morrison told Patch.
“No one saw the snake, he was just running and he felt something bite his lower leg, and it was more painful than it should have been if it were a piece of grass or a stick,” Morrison said. “So basically that is what his mom thought; they were having a good day in the park until this happened.”
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While a family member called 911, the mother grabbed her son and carried him down from the Bruce Lee Trail to the Mitchell Canyon parking lot.
Emergency personnel were waiting for them there.
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“We dispatched a limited access rescue team,” Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Spokesperson Steve Hill told Patch. “At the same time, CHP responded with their helicopter and they landed at a parking lot not too far from the trail. In the meantime, the mother carried the child down the trail to the parking lot where he was treated by our paramedics and CHP and based on his symptoms, was transported within minutes to John Muir Walnut Creek [medical center].”
The boy’s symptoms were a puncture wound to his leg and some stiffening of his leg, Hill said.
“I know when he was transported he was alert but having symptoms,” Hill said. “Rattlesnake bites are known to be serious and can be fatal. They require immediate attention, which this young person is lucky to have received.”
Ben Drew, a spokesperson for John Muir Health, told Patch that because of privacy laws, he could not confirm whether the boy was treated there or give an update without parental consent.
Morrison confirmed California State Parks was treating the incident as a rattlesnake bite based on the boy’s symptoms.
The boy was with a party of several other children and several adults and they were only about 15 minutes into their hike on the Bruce Lee Trail — and a mile at the most from their car — when the bite happened, Morrison said.
For families with small children, Morrison suggests having a quick talk before heading out into nature.
“Say, ‘Hey, there are snakes out here. Keep an eye out for them.’ It’s an awareness thing,” Morrison said. “And sometimes there are accidents, even with awareness.”
Rattlesnake Season
Although three dozen snake species are native to California, only the rattlers pose a danger to humans.
Snakes emerge in warm spring weather to explore their environment, which can lead to more encounters with humans and dogs, according to the East Bay Regional Park District.
At least one Northern California park ranger believes the extra-rainy winter will result in a busier rattlesnake season this year. As water levels rise, there are more rattlesnakes out and about because there are fewer places for them to hide. An increase in mice, which rattlesnakes eat, would also draw them out, as would thicker vegetation, which is where they hide.
Other park rangers do not believe more rain begets more rattlesnakes.
“We haven’t noticed anything unusual with a number of sightings,” Morrison said regarding Mount Diablo State Park. “I would say it’s pretty consistent with normal during these droughts and then years when we get above average rainfall, we always tend to hear things about this but rattlesnakes generally have babies every other year. Or it can be every three years. They have about 10 babies. But it wouldn’t be anything that would be immediate since it takes, you know, every other year for them to lay their 10 eggs at most.”
The rattlesnake is a member of the viper family that comes in several varieties across the region. According to the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Department, the most commonly found species is the western rattlesnake — known to live anywhere from the northern stretches of the state to as far south as Santa Barbara County.
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Two close relatives can be found along the Southern California coast and the northern Sierra Nevada, and the Mohave rattlesnake makes its home in the desert and foothills of southeastern California. Other desert natives include the southwestern speckled rattlesnake, Panamint rattlesnake and red diamond rattlesnake. The latter lives in the southwest part of the state, south of Los Angeles.
What To Do If You Get Bit
When hiking, camping or just spending time in nature or any other place where snakes are found, have a plan on how to get emergency medical help.
Also make sure to have a fully stocked first aid kit, including a snakebite kit. Be skeptical of consumer snakebite kits, according to the Snakebite Foundation, an international group of physicians, paramedics and scientists who treat snakebite patients.
Snake bites require immediate medical attention. After calling 911, keep the person who was bitten calm and still to slow the spread of venom. Make sure the site of the bite is below the level of the heart; wash the wound with warm, soapy water; and cover the bite with a clean, dry dressing from the first aid kit.
In the situation Wednesday afternoon at Mount Diablo State Park, Morrison said the appropriate actions were taken.
“The mom did everything right. She was able to keep him calm, and he got to the hospital as quickly as possible.”
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