14-Year-Old California Girl Bitten by Rattlesnake During Bike Ride; Officials Warn of Rising Snake Encounters in Region

A 14-year-old California girl is fighting for her life after being bitten by a venomous rattlesnake during a mountain bike ride, sparking urgent warnings about the rising threat of snake encounters in the region. Bailey Vanden Bossche and her friend Zoey Bark were cycling on the Wendy Trail in Newbury Park, Ventura County, around 5:30 p.m. on March 20 when the teen slipped on an uneven path while attempting to walk her bike through a narrow section. The fall left her trapped under her own bike, and as she tried to stand, Bailey stepped on the snake. Her mother, Brooke Cushman, recounted the harrowing moment: "She thought she had just broken her ankle at first, with only one puncture wound visible."

Bailey's initial reaction was disbelief. "I got up, my ankle was bleeding, but I didn't feel a bite," she told the Ventura County Star. However, within minutes, symptoms worsened. Her face began to tingle, her hearing faded, and her body felt "like it didn't belong to her." The girls were two miles from their home when they decided to call Bailey's father, who lived nearby. Zoey recalled the panic: "It was scary because we were by ourselves, and her dad couldn't track her location. I was scared he couldn't find us."

By the time her father arrived, the swelling had already reached alarming proportions. "When he took off her shoe, her ankle had swollen to the size of a golf ball," said Bryan Vanden Bossche, Bailey's grandfather. Unable to move, Bailey's father called 911. Firefighters arrived to find the teen struggling to breathe, her face distorted and muscles twitching uncontrollably. "You could see her face distorted and the muscles going in different ways," Bryan said. "It was a very scary moment."

First responders acted swiftly, administering medication to slow the venom's effects and using a stretcher designed for remote rescues to carry Bailey to safety. Cushman, meanwhile, was left in shock after learning from first responders that rattlesnake bites can be fatal. "That hit me like a train," she said.

Bailey's ordeal has since involved five days in the hospital, a follow-up visit to a pediatrician, a return to the emergency room to rule out a blood clot, and a trip to urgent care for a rash on her foot. Bryan, a former firefighter with 30 years of experience, emphasized the risks of anti-venom treatment: "There are issues with anti-venom. Patients can have allergic reactions or blood clots from the medication." Despite these complications, Bailey avoided tissue damage but may need physical therapy to walk without crutches.

The incident has come amid a troubling spike in rattlesnake bites across California this year. Just one day before Bailey's accident, a woman in Moorpark died from a rattlesnake bite. Earlier this year, an Orange County man also died after being bitten while hiking in Irvine. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are approximately 7,000 to 8,000 rattlesnake bites annually in the U.S., with an average of five fatalities each year.

Doctors warn that victims should keep the affected area at or below heart level, avoid ice, cutting the wound, or sucking out venom, and seek immediate medical help. Despite the trauma, Bailey has vowed not to abandon the trails. "I won't stay away from the trails," she said. But her story has become a stark reminder of the dangers lurking in California's wild spaces—and the urgent need for awareness as unseasonably warm weather drives snakes into more populated areas.