Hiker Bitten by Rattlesnake

A hiker was bitten by a rattlesnake Friday afternoon in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains, authorities said.

Adam Silverberg, 18, of Chatsworth, was walking with a friend in the brush near a residential neighborhood when he inadvertently stepped on the snake, said Deputy Robert Carangi of the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station.

The bite was more of a graze wound than a deep puncture, Carangi said. Silverberg was taken to Encino-Tarzana Regional Medical Center, where he was treated and released, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Rattlesnake sightings are common between April and October, but the creatures generally do not bite unless provoked, wildlife experts say. Hikers who encounter the venomous snakes are advised to steer clear by stepping around them or slowly backing away.

The 4 p.m. incident, near Gladiola Drive in the Calabasas highlands, was the first of its kind this year in the Lost Hills area, which includes part of the western Santa Monica Mountains, said Sgt. Phil Morris.

Rattlesnakes are most active during daylight hours in the spring and fall. In the heat of summer, the snakes slither into rock piles and other cool places.

“It’s early for rattlesnakes,” Morris said. “Usually, once the season gets going in the summer, we get two or three calls a week.”