Julian Hernandez succumbed to his injuries after suffering a rattlesnake bite on February 1 in Orange County, California. Photo: Gofundme
A 25-year-old mountain biker died after a rattlesnake bit him on Quail Hill Trailhead in Orange County, California on February 1. The biker, Julian Hernandez of Costa Mesa, spent a month in an intensive care unit and succumbed to his injuries. His family confirmed his death on March 4.
While the exact circumstances around how Hernandez was bitten are unclear, reports say that after the bite, he got back on his bike to seek medical attention and was overcome by the venom. He entered a coma in the hospital and never recovered.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 7,000 to 8,000 people are bitten by rattlesnakes each year in the U.S., and only five people die on average.
Hernandez’s family cited this information in a fundraiser, highlighting how rare this death is and casting doubt on the cause of death reported by the coroner.
“(Julian) was strong and healthy,” wrote family member James Hernandez. “He was alive when he got to the hospital. His whole family was there, advocating for him every step of the way. Julian did not survive.”
“We are not doctors,” he continued. “We are not lawyers. We are a family that handed our son over to people we trusted and never got him back. We have questions that deserve answers, and getting those answers requires a legal fight that costs more than any normal family can afford. We are raising these funds to pursue the truth about what happened to Julian and to stand up for him. This is not about anger. This is about accountability. This is about making sure the next family that walks through those doors doesn’t live our nightmare.”
Dr. William Woo of Kaiser Permanente told KTLA that “venom from a rattlesnake causes significant stress on the body.”
“It can cause organ shutdown,” he said. “It can be really severe and we know that the effective treatment is antivenom and the sooner we can administer, the better off the patients are. It can cause a whole host of problems in the body.”
In an interview with CBS, Dr. Mona Sedgehian of Hoag Hospital Irvine stressed that it’s important for bite victims to get medical help immediately after being exposed to the venom.
According to the University of California Davis, rattlesnake bike victims should avoid exertion and keep the affected extremity below heart level. They say that victims should not apply ice, use a tourniquet, or try to suck out the venom.
