On June 6th, Ethan Vogel and his father, Zach Vogel, were biking on the trails of North Table Mountain in Golden, Colorado. About 90 minutes into their trek Ethan clipped a boulder and fell off his bike. Unfortunately, when he fell, he landed directly on top of a prairie rattlesnake, which bit him in the torso near his armpit.
When Zach saw the bloodstains on Ethan’s shirt, he quickly realized the seriousness of the situation and raced to his son’s side. Ethan had already begun to lose feeling in his face and hands. The father then called 911 while holding his son’s head and trying to keep Ethan calm and his heart rate low. Ethan started to throw up, and his heartbeat rose to 165 beats per minute while lying down.
Zach called 911, and when the responders arrived, Ethan was taken to St. Anthony’s Hospital in Littleton, where he was given antivenom and other medication to stabilize him. He was later transferred to Children’s Hospital Colorado and given a 90-minute slow drip.
Fortunately, Ethan is expected to fully recover in about three weeks. He is already looking forward to returning to his bike and riding the trails again. His father has also learned an important lesson on the dangers of rattlesnakes and urges others to stay aware and listen for the sound.