03/13/2026
Yes, a young man unfortunately lost his life due to a rattlesnake bite in California in the last few days. We are getting countless messages about it, and figure it would be appropriate to comment.
It is an absolutely sad event. Accidents involving wildlife do happen. Rattlesnake bites are part of that, and a very small number of people each year do lose their lives to them. There is no diminishing the loss of life and the tragedy of the situation for this young man and his family. According to the information available, it was purely an accident.
Now, let's get control of ourselves. Local news stations have a heyday with this kind of thing. The constant rage-bait posts that generate income from goading us all into believing we hate one another get easy traction from these ... opportunities. An exceptionally rare rattlesnake bite death is an opening to stoke your fears and get your eyes on ads, and reasonable discussion doesn't get those clicks. You do not need to participate. You do not deserve to have your fear monetized.
This does not mean you need to stop hiking. You do not need to worry more than you normally would, or fortify old fears. This does not mean that you are in more or less danger than at any other time. This certainly does not mean that rattlesnakes are becoming more dangerous, or deserve any more space in your mind than they already do. There is NO EVIDENCE that they are "evolving to become silent" or other pop culture nonsense. This does not mean that a rattlesnake encounter, as will happen countless times today in Arizona without incident, is a different situation from the day before. This isn't a justification to kill rattlesnakes when you see them.
The other activity mentioned, riding a bike, kills a few people each day in the US (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), but is too boring to ever make a headline. I won't go into the daily death toll from dogs, deer, cows, motorcycles, eating grapes, owning a pool, stairs, etc ... but if you're really concerned now about rattlesnakes, you definitely should do some googling.
It's a common saying that rattlesnake bites are mostly due to people messing with them, and most are males with alcohol in their system. This is false. The majority of rattlesnake bites are accidents, often with the person not knowing it was there. While intentional interaction is a significant cause of snakebites, this narrative is dangerously inaccurate – stop repeating it. If you want to make the same point, you can correctly say that intentional handling is the most common cause of bites that can be completely avoided. Or, as I usually say at presentations: a rattlesnake bite to a person who is catching or killing it isn't an accident; it's bad decision-making. By the available information in this instance, this is not a factor by any means.
If you or someone with you has been bitten by a rattlesnake, here is what you should do:
Call 911 or appropriate emergency services, and follow instructions.
That's it.
They may instruct you to do things like: remove clothing or jewelry from the area to allow for swelling, elevate the affected limb, or moving to an accessible area (or not).
If you are going to be in an area without cellular service, now is the time to get one of the many affordable satellite communication options.
.. and if you're one of the people out there that continues to promote the use of Benadryl to "buy some time" despite being informed numerous times that this is somewhere between ineffective and dangerous by medical professionals: stop it. It's time to grow up.
If you are concerned, an appropriate place to put that worry is in brushing up on what to do, and not do, to be safe where rattlesnakes can live.
For hikers and bikers, we've compiled this in an article: https://rattlesnakesolutions.com/snakeblog/arizona-snakes/arizona-hikers-guide-to-rattlesnake-safety/
For homeowners and everyone else, the essentials:
- Don't reach or step into places you can't see.
- Do all you can to reduce such hiding spots, excess clutter, or anything that animals may look at as a resource
- Be aware of your surroundings, wear shoes when you go outside, and use a flashlight at night.
Of course, fear isn't always, or usually, dictated by figures and reason. Knowing that a rattlesnake bite death is incredibly rare alone won't help a truly phobic person feel better about the situation. But, it can be used to consider and reconcile that emotional response with reality. We are all subject to irrational fears – myself included – but we don't need to stop enjoying life when these fears can be challenged. To that end, if anyone has questions or just wants to know if something you've heard out there is accurate or not, our inbox is right there.
