Overview
- The U.S. Forest Service for San Bernardino National Forest, which posted a warning Wednesday, urged hikers to watch for rattlesnakes as spring heat increases activity.
- Ventura County’s cluster included Gabriela Bautista, 46, who was bitten at Wildwood Regional Park on March 14 and died March 19 from rattlesnake venom toxicity.
- First responders also rescued a teenage bicyclist near Newbury Park on March 20, and Ventura County Fire has logged four bite reports since March 14 compared with nine in all of 2025.
- The recent deaths also include 25-year-old Julian Hernandez, who was bitten while mountain biking in Irvine on Feb. 1 and died on March 4 after weeks in the hospital.
- Officials tie the early encounters to record warmth and advise immediate hospital care after any bite while avoiding tourniquets, cutting, suction, ice, alcohol, or caffeine, noting U.S. fatalities average about five a year out of 7,000 to 8,000 venomous bites.