6-year-old boy dies after getting bitten by rattlesnake while on a family bike ride in Colorado

A six-year-old boy died days after he was bitten by a rattlesnake while on a family bike ride near Colorado Springs, CBS Colorado reports.

A father and his two children were taking a water break in the Bluestem Prairie Open Space when his 6-year-old son ran ahead and was bitten by the snake, the station reported. The boy died a week later.

"Being a dad myself it really, really hits home," said Security Fire Battalion Chief Derek Chambers, who was among the first to respond to the call on July 5 just after 8 a.m.

"As soon as the kid was bitten, the dad grabbed him and started running toward the street ... screaming for help," he told the station.

Members of his department were on scene within minutes, and a helicopter arrived shortly afterwards. The child would make it to the hospital but died days later.

"It's hard to imagine what that family is going through," Chambers told the station.

After more than a decade at the fire station, it was his first response to a snake bite. But Chambers says sightings are common.

He says there are several things to remember if a snake were to bite you or someone you are with.

"Stay calm, try and slow down your heart rate as much as possible, leave the bite wound lower than the heart; don't elevate," he said. "Don't put a tourniquet on it and don't try and suck out the venom, but get the child or patient to a hospital as quick as possible."

The Colorado Springs Fire Department told CBS affiliate KKTV that leaving a rattlesnake bite unattended can lead to you having nausea and dizziness. Your blood pressure will also fall and your heart rate can go up.

Experts with Colorado Parks and Wildlife told the station that identifying the right snake will help hospitals apply the right anti-venom.

"The best thing to do is take a picture of it or try to get the best description of it, but make sure you can still keep your distance," said Lt. Joey Buttenwieser, Colorado Springs Fire Department. "We don't want to risk someone else getting struck or getting struck again by that snake."

Rattlesnakes usually avoid humans, but about 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the U.S. each year, with 10 to 15 deaths, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

In 2017,a 31-year-old endurance athlete died after he was bitten by a rattlesnake in Colorado.

In:
• Colorado
• Snake