Overview
- Bailey Vanden Bossche, 14, was bitten by a rattlesnake while mountain biking in Newbury Park and is now recovering on crutches.
- She fell into brush, did not feel the bite at first, then developed face tingling, hearing loss, and severe weakness.
- Her friend first saw only a single puncture, her father located them, and firefighters hiked in to evacuate her to a hospital for antivenom.
- Doctors caution people to keep the bitten limb still and at or below heart level and to avoid ice, cutting, or trying to suck out venom while calling 911.
- Recent local cases include two deaths tied to rattlesnake bites, though CDC data show 7,000 to 8,000 venomous bites a year in the U.S. with about five fatalities.