Rattler Bite Leaves Child Hospitalized

A 21-month-old Thousand Oaks boy remained hospitalized Monday in an intensive care unit after he was bitten by a baby rattlesnake.

Jacob Staitman was listed in fair condition at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, a hospital spokeswoman said.

On Sunday afternoon, a 15-inch pit viper sank its fangs into the boy’s hand as he crawled on the patio at his family’s home in the 1600 block of Camberwell Place in Thousand Oaks, said Deputy Greg Chase, chief of the sheriff’s rescue team.

Within minutes of the 1:20 p.m. snakebite, an emergency helicopter landed in a grassy strip between the Staitmans’ home and a small creek near Lake Sherwood, Chase said.

The child was flown to St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, Chase said. The 30-pound boy was later transferred to Cottage Hospital’s pediatric center for further treatment.

The snake was killed at the scene and taken along with Jacob so toxicology tests could be performed, Chase said.

The presence of a rattlesnake, especially a baby one, surprised local officials, because the poisonous reptiles usually remain in their dens during the winter, said county Fire Capt. Richard Dyatt.

“It’s very strange for one to be out this time of year,” he said, noting that snakes are more often seen in spring and summer.

Jacob’s condition has been upgraded from serious to fair since the bite, but it worried emergency officials because baby rattlers “often will give a full shot of venom” when they strike, Dyatt said.

Last July, Hannah McKee, an 11-month-old Simi Valley girl, was bitten on the leg by a baby rattlesnake as she bounced in her walker in the backyard of her family’s home on Hempstead Street.

Hannah’s parents immediately drove their daughter to Northridge Hospital Medical Center, where she underwent surgery and spent 14 days in recovery.

On Monday, Hannah’s mother, Kathryn, said the snakebite was a harrowing experience for the family, but her daughter “is now fully recovered and chasing her sister.”