SNAKEBITE VICTIM AIRLIFTED TO HOSPITAL

July 3, 2012 (Pine Valley) – A hiker bitten by a rattlesnake on the Corte Madera Ranch South of Interstate 8 in Pine Valley has been rescued.

Cal Fire units responded to a call at 1:15 p.m. from a female who dialed 911 from a cell phone and provided her GPS location to the dispatcher, Cal Fire Battalion Chief Nick Schuler said.  According to ECM news partner 10 News, the woman was hiking with a friend, who blew a whistle to help rescuers find the location. 

San Diego County Sheriff’s Department assisted with its ATREA helicopter.  Mercy Air 6 was requested to transport the patient to a local hospital.

“It took approximately an hour from the time of dispatch to locate her and transport her to the landing zone to meet with Mercy Air 6,” Schuler told ECM.  He was not certain whether the helicopter crew had anti-venom, or whether treatment had to wait until the patient reached the hospital.

10 News reports that the patient was admitted to Grossmont Hospital. The hospital declined to release information on the victim’s status, citing medical privacy laws.