SANTA CLARITA, CALIFORNIA — A routine package delivery became a medical emergency when a rattlesnake hiding beneath an Amazon envelope bit a 3-year-old girl outside her family’s home.
The girl, identified by her family as Addy, ran outside with her mother July 13 to retrieve the package after it had been dropped over the property’s gate. As she reached toward the padded envelope, a Southern Pacific rattlesnake underneath it struck her left hand.
Addy’s mother drove her to meet emergency responders in a nearby grocery store parking lot. Paramedics transported her to a hospital, where doctors administered antivenom before transferring her to a pediatric intensive care unit. She received two additional doses and remained hospitalized for two nights.
Her father, Manny Barajas, said Addy is recovering well but still has bruising around the bite. The family created a fundraiser to help cover medical expenses and wages lost while caring for her.
The encounter comes during an unusually active rattlesnake season in California. State poison-control officials had received 277 snakebite reports this year, nearly matching the number typically recorded during an entire year. Three Californians have died from snakebites in 2026.
Officials advise residents to look carefully around packages, landscaping and other shaded areas where snakes may seek shelter. Anyone bitten should limit movement and seek emergency medical treatment immediately.
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