A California father is describing the terrifying moment his 3-year-old daughter was rushed for emergency care after an incident that quickly became a family’s worst fear.
Addy, a young girl from Santa Clarita, was bitten on her left hand after running excitedly to retrieve what she thought was a gift delivered in an Amazon package. Her father, Manuel Barajas, said a Southern Pacific rattlesnake had been hiding beneath the brown padded envelope.
In a GoFundMe post, Barajas said Lynn immediately took Addy to meet firefighters and an ambulance at a nearby grocery store parking lot. Addy was given her first dose of antivenom at a local hospital before doctors transferred her to another facility equipped with a pediatric ICU.
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Barajas said his daughter ultimately required two additional doses of antivenom and remained hospitalized for two nights. He added that he was away for work when the snakebite happened and flew home as quickly as he could to be with Lynn and Addy.
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The emergency has also placed a financial strain on the family. Barajas said he missed roughly a week of work to support his wife and daughter, while medical expenses tied to the antivenom treatment and pediatric intensive care continue to mount.
“We are doing everything we can to support Addy’s healing, but the costs are overwhelming,” Barajas wrote, saying the family never expected to face such a crisis and is asking for help as they try to recover from the ordeal.
The fundraiser was launched Sunday night and had brought in $200 toward its $4,500 goal.
The Santa Clarita snakebite is not an isolated case, as California has already seen several similar rattlesnake encounters reported this year.
Just a few months ago, a 25-year-old man died after getting bit by a rattlesnake while mountain biking in Irvine. A man visiting his family in California from Idaho received 54 vials of anti-venom after he was bitten twice in the leg — racking up a staggering $1.3 million medical bill.
A woman hiking in Ventura County also died after a rattlesnake bit her in March.
7000 to 8000 people are annually attacked by venomous snakes in the U.S., but only five people end up dying, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
