A 78-year-old woman from Redwood Valley died on April 8 after being bitten multiple times by a venomous snake, according to Quincy Cromer, a spokesperson for the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office. Mendocino County officials ruled her death accidental, with the cause determined as envenomation from snake bites. The specific snake species involved in this incident has not been identified. This marks the third snakebite-related fatality in California in 2026, according to multiple reports, which is unusual as the state typically averages no more than one snakebite death per year, experts say.
The first 2026 fatality occurred on February 1, when a 25-year-old mountain biker, Julian Hernandez, died after being bitten by a rattlesnake while biking near the Quail Hill Trailhead in Irvine, authorities said. In March, a 46-year-old hiker died after being bitten by a rattlesnake while hiking in Wildwood Regional Park, according to multiple reports.
Non-fatal but serious incidents have also been reported. A 14-year-old girl, Bailey Vanden Bossche, was bitten by a rattlesnake while mountain biking on the Wendy Trail in Newbury Park on March 20, according to her mother, Brooke Cushman. She spent five days in the hospital and may require physical therapy, according to multiple reports. In Ventura County, a sixth person was bitten by a rattlesnake on a recent Sunday, bringing the total to six bites in under a month, according to Andrew Dowd, a spokesperson for the Ventura County Fire Department. The victim was transported to a hospital with antivenom and was in stable condition, Dowd said. Ventura County recorded nine rattlesnake bites in all of 2025, according to Dowd.
Experts say the spike in snake encounters might be driven by unseasonably warm weather, including an early March heatwave. Warm weather pushed rattlesnakes out of hibernation earlier than normal as they searched for food and mates, according to experts. Good rains early in winter followed by warm weather led to good plant growth and rodent populations, providing food sources for snakes, according to Greg Pauly, curator of herpetology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Rattlesnakes are most active in warm temperatures, typically in the high 70s to low 80s Fahrenheit, according to Pauly.
Broader statistics show the California Poison Control System recorded about 70 rattlesnake bites in the first three months of 2026, according to Rais Vohra, medical director of the Fresno-Madera Division. Rattlesnakes are the only venomous snake native to California, according to multiple reports. Rattlesnake bites can cause severe pain, swelling, breathing problems, and in rare cases, death, according to the California Poison Control. Death by rattlesnake bite is extremely rare, with about 5 fatalities annually in the U.S. out of 7,000-8,000 bites, according to Jeffrey Suchard, an emergency physician and medical toxicologist at UCI Health.
Safety recommendations emphasize immediate action. If bitten by a rattlesnake, people should remain calm, keep the bite area relaxed, and seek emergency medical care immediately, according to experts.