A California woman was bitten on the toe by a rattlesnake while cutting roses outside her Stevenson Ranch home before being rushed to the hospital. Street surveillance footage showed the woman wearing a dress and sandals as she walked toward her white rose bushes before running back toward her house after being startled by the hidden reptile.
According to CBS News, the incident occurred earlier in the week when the woman went outside in the late afternoon to prune her rose bushes in the area near Los Angeles. She said that she initially thought she had stepped on a bee before lifting the bush and discovering the rattlesnake resting at the base of the plant.
Snakebite symptoms and hospital emergency
The reptile bit her toe after feeling threatened, causing immediate pain and a severe burning sensation. She said that tingling began at the tips of her fingers within 30 to 45 seconds before spreading to her jaw, cheeks, and tongue.
Nearly a minute after the bite, the woman fell to the ground paralyzed by the venom. She attempted to call emergency services from her phone, but she could not connect because there was no cellular network coverage in the neighborhood.
Her husband was inside the home during the attack and discovered her lying on the ground. He immediately drove her to the hospital, where medical staff treated her with antivenom serum.
Rattlesnake warnings and California statistics
The woman acknowledged after the incident that if her husband had not been home, she did not know what would have happened to her. Laughing about the ordeal, she said she would never garden again without wearing boots and promised to advocate for better cellular coverage in her area.
CBS News reported that rattlesnake encounters are on the rise across California. Official data shows that 400 people reported rattlesnake sightings or encounters in the state during 2025.
State health statistics also show that three people have died from rattlesnake bites in California since January 2026.
