A 3-year-old girl in Santa Clarita, California, required hospitalization and antivenom treatment after being bitten by a rattlesnake that was hiding under an Amazon package. The incident occurred as the child, identified as Addy, reached for the delivery on her family's property.
According to her father, Manuel Barajas, the rattlesnake was discovered beneath a brown padded envelope. Following the bite to her left hand, Addy was quickly transported by her mother, Lynn, to meet emergency medical services. She received her initial dose of antivenom at a local hospital before being transferred to a facility with a pediatric intensive care unit for two additional doses and an overnight stay.
Barajas, who was out of town for work at the time of the incident, returned home to be with his family. The family has set up a GoFundMe page to help cover the overwhelming medical expenses, which include the cost of antivenom and the pediatric ICU stay. As of Sunday night, the campaign had raised $200 toward its $4,500 goal.
This incident is one of several rattlesnake encounters reported in California this year. In March, a woman died after being bitten while hiking in Ventura County. More recently, a 25-year-old man died from a rattlesnake bite while mountain biking in Irvine. Another man visiting California from Idaho received 54 vials of antivenom, resulting in a $1.3 million medical bill, after being bitten twice.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 7,000 to 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes annually in the U.S., with approximately five resulting in fatalities.