Overview
- The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office confirmation Monday made it the state's third snakebite death this year, an unusual tally for California where a typical year sees about one.
- The victim, a 78-year-old from Redwood Valley, was bitten three times on April 8 and died April 10 after a preliminary autopsy found snake envenomation with a severe clotting disorder called disseminated intravascular coagulation.
- California Poison Control recorded roughly 70 to 77 rattlesnake bite calls in January through March, a fast start compared with the few hundred cases typically logged over a full year.
- Researchers cite lush plant growth after heavy rain and an early heatwave that boosted rodents and drew snakes out sooner, increasing daytime activity and the odds of trail encounters.
- Recent nonfatal bites, including last week's case in Palos Verdes Estates, prompted fresh warnings to call 911 fast for antivenom care and to skip tourniquets, suction, cutting, ice, or heat.