A teen girl was rescued Friday night after being bitten by a rattlesnake in Newbury Park, according to Ventura County fire officials.
According to KTLA, on March 20, a teen girl fell off her bike and was bitten by a rattlesnake near the Wendy Drive trailhead in Thousand Oaks around 7:30 p.m. Emergency help was contacted and the girl was eventually rescued. Medical crews successfully administered anti-venom at the hospital.
"They were able to make access to the patient by hiking in, assess the patient and help rescue and extricate that patient back to a safe area where we had the ambulance standing by," said Ventura County Fire spokesperson Andrew Dowd. The girl is currently in stable condition, officials said.
The incident comes one week after firefighters responded to another snake bite at Wildwood Regional Park in Thousand Oaks.
Also last week, a 25-year-old Orange County man died weeks after being bitten by a rattlesnake. As previously reported, Julian Hernandez, of Costa Mesa, was biking at Quail Hill Trailhead on Feb. 1 around 11 a.m. when he was bitten. After the bite, Hernandez hopped on his bike and tried to get medical care but was overcome by the reptile's venom.
Authorities responded to the scene and transported him to the hospital where he slipped into a coma and remained in an intensive care unit. On March 4, his family confirmed that he passed away.
Rattlesnakes can commonly be found sunning near boulders, logs or open areas. They're typically seen in deserts, mountains, prairies and beaches. Antivenom is needed quickly to neutralize toxins in a victim's bloodstream after they are bitten by dangerous snakes.
Fire crews are reminding hikers and residents that rattlesnakes are more active during hot weather and urge people to stay alert while outdoors.
The venom of a Rattlesnake is highly potent and primarily hemotoxic, meaning it attacks blood and tissue. The venom can rapidly destroy blood cells, damage blood vessels, and begin breaking down surrounding tissue, causing severe pain, swelling, and internal bleeding.
