Overview
- Firefighters reached the teen around 7:30 p.m. Friday on the Wendy Trail, used a wheeled litter for the carryout, and transported her to a local hospital in stable condition with minor injuries.
- Ventura County Fire Department reported this as the latest in a series of recent snakebite calls, including a response about a week earlier at Wildwood Regional Park near Thousand Oaks.
- Officials urge trail users to wear boots and long pants, stay on visible paths, avoid tall grass and brush, keep a safe distance from snakes, and seek immediate medical care if bitten.
- Regional heat has coincided with increased snake activity, and authorities are cautioning hikers, bikers, and pet owners to watch where they step as encounters rise.
- In March, 25-year-old Julian Hernandez died in Irvine after a suspected rattlesnake bite, while CDC data note roughly 8,000 venomous bites occur in the U.S. each year with fewer than 10 deaths.