Add The California Post on Google A baseball star primed to play on the college level drained a local hospital of its anti-venom after being bitten by a rattlesnake during a morning hike in Southern California.
Avid hiker Jake Entrup and his mom headed to the the Claremont Wilderness Trail on July 18 when a rattler sunk its fangs into the 22-year-old, leading him to be rushed to the hospital.
Jake said he had run ahead of his mom with one of their two dogs when he turned the corner and the snake bit him in the leg.
“The next thing I know, I got bit. I looked down and I saw the fang marks,” Entrup told KTLA.
“I did turn around. I saw the snake. It kind of hissed at me and slithered off into the bush.
“Within the first two minutes, I put my hand in front of my face and I could not see it,” he continued.
Luckily for Entrup — who recently committed to play college baseball — a nurse was nearby on the trail to provide aid, according to a GoFundMe campaing launched by the family.
He was airlifted to Pomona Valley Trauma Center, where he received 20 doses of anti-venom.
“When the hospital’s supply could not support Jake’s needs for more, he was transferred by ambulance to LA County General, where he received 14 additional doses,” the fundraiser read.
Entrup spent three days in the ICU before he was finally released from the hospital.
He said he had been working double shifts to pay for his college tuition because he was about to start grad school in the fall.
After the emergency, friends said he won’t be able to work over the next few weeks while he recovers.
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Even though he and his family are familiar with rattlesnakes in the area, Entrup sent a message to other hikers about the experience, warning them to be alert.
“I would be very cautious of your surroundings,” Entrup said. “In the moment, it can seem scary, but you want to keep yourself as calm as possible.”
Between 7,000 and 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes, including rattlesnakes, in the US every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In Southern California, there had been more than 250 rattlesnake bites as of early July, with three fatalities reported.
One of the reasons given for the increase snake sightings earlier this year was the unseasonably warm weather.
“Snakes do enjoy being out in warmer temperatures, so any time the temperature rises is a time where increased snake activity is likely,” Cort Klopping with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Klopping previously told The Post.
