A pregnant woman and her son had quite a scare when the young boy was bitten by a rattlesnake while walking along a bike trail in Folsom.
Jaclyn Caramazza, who is nine months pregnant, was anticipating a trip to the hospital sometime this month. But she was expecting the visit for the birth of her newborn, not for a snakebite.
On their way back from a walk, her 4-year-old son Vinny accidentally stepped on a baby rattlesnake. Knowing that something was wrong with her son, Jaclyn tended to the area, according to KTXL.
“I’m looking around, and took his shoes off, and lo-and-behold, there were two little puncture marks,” Jaclyn said.
Within minutes, Vinny’s ankle started to swell and turned purple. The venom quickly spread to his entire leg.
“Mama bear instinct in me decided to suck the venom because that’s what Bonanza does,” Jaclyn said.
But officials advise strongly against that.
“Misconception is lacerate between the two points and suck the venom out,” Chris Stoots, with California Fish and Wildlife, told KTXL. “Absolutely don’t do that. Use your basic wound type stuff, soap and water, wash the area, keep it clean and call 911 immediately.”
Luckily, the venom Jaclyn tried to suck out of Vinny’s leg didn’t spread to her or her unborn son. As for Vinny, he’s recovering well.
From now on, the family will be a little more cautious.
“Being more aware of our surroundings and putting up some things in our backyard to keep the snakes out and counting our blessings,” she said.