Baby Rattlesnake Bites Gardener

A 23-year-old man was reported in good condition Saturday after he was bitten on the finger by what the victim and a police officer described as a baby rattlesnake.

Jamie Vargas of Long Beach was weeding the lawn of a home in Orange Parks Acres, an unincorporated area near Santiago Oaks Regional Park, when the foot-long snake bit him on a finger of his right hand.

Vargas was taken to Chapman Hospital in Orange where antivenin was administered and he was put under observation. A hospital spokeswoman said he did not appear to be in danger.

Orange police and Vargas’ employer, architect Jim Kinney, said rattlesnakes are common in the area of Kinney’s home at this time of year. Vargas said the bite made him feel dizzy and numbed his fingers. The snake was reported to have been killed by animal control officers.