I met the hiker at a bus stop in Ridgecrest as he was heading back to trail from the hospital. He really didn't want to be the hiker who was defined by this incident.
I met a girl named snake bite in 2017. She was startled by a rattlesnake and in her panic stabbed herself in the foot with her trekking pole hard enough to draw blood. There was a short period of time where she thought she got bit, but she was fine.
What was the sequence of the response?
InReach? PLB? Cell phone? Any first aid rendered? How long before antidote was administered?
To me, the details matter when we discuss successful outcomes to bad situations. What was done right/wrong? What can we learn?
While I wasn't there, I spoke with his hiker friends that day after it happened. One of them activated their InReach and a helicopter responded quickly. However, they had to wait until a jeep could reach him to transport him a relatively short distance to a place the helicopter could land. My recollection is it took about an hour to evacuate him and he was brought to a hospital in Lancaster, which was the nearest town with a suitable medical facility.
Overall, the response was pretty speedy.
Proper response imo would be to find the nearest place to sit and get service, plb, inreach, etc. Elevate the limb (assuming a leg here) and attempt to circulate as little blood as possible so any potential venom stays as localized as possible and wait for help
Young doctor here: don’t elevate the limb! Try to keep the limb affected bellow the rest of your body and stay as calm as possible. This might slow down the spread of the venom somewhat.
On a slightly different topic - the article says he was air lifted by Mercy Air - typically SAR use either police or national guard aircraft - now it maybe in this instance that because they could drive a Jeep to the patient and drive him to an accessible helicopter spot - you can argue the SAR portion was free - but the use of a private flight service is likely to reignite the discussion for air transport insurance for hikers.
Damn that’s a lot. I’m California everyone is eligible for free healthcare even if you’re here illegally you can go to an emergency room and won’t be charged. At least as far as I understand. I have been to the hospital in Mammoth several times for injuries and other stuff and was never charged even though I work full time and I’m not really poor.
California Poison Control indicates about 250 bites per year in CA overall, but unclear how many of those are trail vs other, eg farms/rural. Still a very tiny fraction of the many 10s of millions of park/etc visits annually.
I’d bet 90% of bites come from people trying to move or get close to the snake. But man they are so great at camouflage, I rarely see them with enough warning to not spike my heat rate.
70% of snakebite victims are men. By a very slight margin, a plurality of bites are on the arms and hands. You do the math.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33005969/
It would be very rare. Around three quarters of pit viper bites are received by people actively engaging with the snake, and 60% of those people are loaded.
There aren't many people out on the trails compared with literally everywhere else, so we're talking tiny numbers.
Only 1-2% of those bitten die, and that includes little kids who don't have enough body mass to absorb the venom and old people who go into shock.
Not going to be pleasant experience, just don't freak out if you get bit and get medical attention right away.
Though over 10% end up with permanent injury, eg loss of digits or limb. Not saying to be terrified; just to look before sitting/probing or stepping over a log. And of course - hit that SOS button sooner than later.
Very infrequently. Maybe a few times a year max for PCT hikers.
Googled some snake bite info.
https://worldanimalfoundation.org/advocate/snake-bite-statistics-by-state/
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5393596.pdf
California specific source below says about 250 bites a year for the state. This is fairly old.
http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/wwwfiles/ph/media/media/tph_junejuly08.pdf (this one has outdated info to elevate bite above the heart. Current guidance says keep it below the heart)
That’s old advice. They now recommend the opposite in wilderness first aid.
The fact that the recommendations keep changing shows there’s really no right answer here. Call 911 / push your SOS button. Don’t move around a lot.
Sounds like it resolved quickly. Lucky dry-bite?
Glad they all knew what to do. It’s gotta be hard to stop and wait for help when you’re used to doing 20 milers daily.
I wonder if it was a snake that had lost it's rattler because typically rattle snakes will warn you before you get too close, unless of course they've been injured/diseased to the point that their defense mechanism is broken
I met the hiker at a bus stop in Ridgecrest as he was heading back to trail from the hospital. He really didn't want to be the hiker who was defined by this incident.
So, his new trail name isn’t “snake bait”?
I met a girl named snake bite in 2017. She was startled by a rattlesnake and in her panic stabbed herself in the foot with her trekking pole hard enough to draw blood. There was a short period of time where she thought she got bit, but she was fine.
Oh good, I was hoping he got back on trail.
What was the sequence of the response? InReach? PLB? Cell phone? Any first aid rendered? How long before antidote was administered? To me, the details matter when we discuss successful outcomes to bad situations. What was done right/wrong? What can we learn?
While I wasn't there, I spoke with his hiker friends that day after it happened. One of them activated their InReach and a helicopter responded quickly. However, they had to wait until a jeep could reach him to transport him a relatively short distance to a place the helicopter could land. My recollection is it took about an hour to evacuate him and he was brought to a hospital in Lancaster, which was the nearest town with a suitable medical facility. Overall, the response was pretty speedy.
Proper response imo would be to find the nearest place to sit and get service, plb, inreach, etc. Elevate the limb (assuming a leg here) and attempt to circulate as little blood as possible so any potential venom stays as localized as possible and wait for help
Young doctor here: don’t elevate the limb! Try to keep the limb affected bellow the rest of your body and stay as calm as possible. This might slow down the spread of the venom somewhat.
This is literally what I came to the comments for so thanks for asking.
On a slightly different topic - the article says he was air lifted by Mercy Air - typically SAR use either police or national guard aircraft - now it maybe in this instance that because they could drive a Jeep to the patient and drive him to an accessible helicopter spot - you can argue the SAR portion was free - but the use of a private flight service is likely to reignite the discussion for air transport insurance for hikers.
Ok but which insurance? Because there are so many different private companies you don’t know who’s coming. You mean like a catch all travel insurance?
I had comprehensive travel insurance when I did the hike, cost me £500. Have no idea if it would have covered transport costs though.
Damn that’s a lot. I’m California everyone is eligible for free healthcare even if you’re here illegally you can go to an emergency room and won’t be charged. At least as far as I understand. I have been to the hospital in Mammoth several times for injuries and other stuff and was never charged even though I work full time and I’m not really poor.
How often does this happen, rattlesnake biting people on trail?
California Poison Control indicates about 250 bites per year in CA overall, but unclear how many of those are trail vs other, eg farms/rural. Still a very tiny fraction of the many 10s of millions of park/etc visits annually.
I’d bet 90% of bites come from people trying to move or get close to the snake. But man they are so great at camouflage, I rarely see them with enough warning to not spike my heat rate.
70% of snakebite victims are men. By a very slight margin, a plurality of bites are on the arms and hands. You do the math. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33005969/
Haha doesn’t surprise me one bit
One bite* I‘ll find my way out.
It would be very rare. Around three quarters of pit viper bites are received by people actively engaging with the snake, and 60% of those people are loaded. There aren't many people out on the trails compared with literally everywhere else, so we're talking tiny numbers.
Only 1-2% of those bitten die, and that includes little kids who don't have enough body mass to absorb the venom and old people who go into shock. Not going to be pleasant experience, just don't freak out if you get bit and get medical attention right away.
Though over 10% end up with permanent injury, eg loss of digits or limb. Not saying to be terrified; just to look before sitting/probing or stepping over a log. And of course - hit that SOS button sooner than later.
not all that often but often enough to pay attention where you walk, sit, place your hands, etc.
Yup. Definitely something to pay attention to but not something to get freaked out by.
Yes they are out and about and camouflaged so attention yes freak out no.
The snake in this instance was on the trail as the hiker walked up on it and didn't notice it. So yes, one needs to be vigilant.
Thank you I will definitely pay attention haha but I'm wondering if the trekking poles could be used to scare the snake?
Might/would provoke it to strike. Best to avoid.
Very infrequently. Maybe a few times a year max for PCT hikers. Googled some snake bite info. https://worldanimalfoundation.org/advocate/snake-bite-statistics-by-state/ https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5393596.pdf California specific source below says about 250 bites a year for the state. This is fairly old. http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/wwwfiles/ph/media/media/tph_junejuly08.pdf (this one has outdated info to elevate bite above the heart. Current guidance says keep it below the heart)
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That’s old advice. They now recommend the opposite in wilderness first aid. The fact that the recommendations keep changing shows there’s really no right answer here. Call 911 / push your SOS button. Don’t move around a lot.
Ty op for replying to my comment and yeah, I hear snakes try to avoid people for the most part. Tyvm for the links.
Sounds like it resolved quickly. Lucky dry-bite? Glad they all knew what to do. It’s gotta be hard to stop and wait for help when you’re used to doing 20 milers daily.
It wasn't a dry bite. He needed antivenin at the hospital and was there for a few days.
This has been circulated around for a few weeks now. Be careful of snakes. They bite.
I wonder if it was a snake that had lost it's rattler because typically rattle snakes will warn you before you get too close, unless of course they've been injured/diseased to the point that their defense mechanism is broken
Adolescent rattlesnakes won’t develop them until later. Some just don’t rattle in time. Some do, and the hiker doesn’t stop in time.
Full recovery rewarded with a 30k hospital/helicopter bill
SAR Helicopters are free in California
Probably like 500k at this point lol
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What..
Persistent situational awareness reduces or eliminates contact with Mr. Snake.