Rattlesnake bites man in Inglewood park
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
A 22-year-old man was recovering this morning after he was bitten by a rattlesnake at an Inglewood park Tuesday night. The Times’ Molly Hennessy-Fiske reports:
The man, whose name had not been released this morning, told police that he picked up the snake in Edward Vincent Park, 700 Warren Lane, thinking it was harmless, Inglewood Police Sgt. Gabriela Garcia said.Then it bit him, twice.The man attempted to drive himself to the hospital, became ill and called 911 about 9:45 p.m., Garcia said. Police and Los Angeles County fire paramedics found the man in the 100 block of North La Brea Avenue, Garcia said.They took him and the snake, which he had placed in a bucket, to Centinela Hospital Medical Center, where staff determined what sort of antivenin to use to treat the man, Garcia said.The snakebite victim was listed in good condition this morning, according to a hospital spokeswoman.Garcia said such snakebite reports are rare.’I’ve been with the department 11 years, and this is the first I’ve ever heard of a rattlesnake in the area,’ she said.
Rattlesnake sightings, however, are common in the Southland, and their bites are only becoming more lethal, The Times’ Tony Perry reported earlier this week on L.A. Unleashed. Other people have been bitten recently, including a 3-year-old on Monday in Lake Arrowhead, Hennessy-Fiske reports.
--Francisco Vara-Orta