Rattlesnake Bit an Idaho Man Twice at His Mom’s Oroville Home and One Hospital Ran Out of Antivenom

Christopher Howarth drove from Idaho to help his parents with a simple repair job. A leaking waterline. A regular weekend errand that families do all the time.

He never made it back the same way.

He Thought He Stepped on a Weed

Oroville’s foothills are blanketed with star thistle, a sharp, invasive weed that jabs your skin without warning. So when Howarth felt a sudden sting near his ankle in his parents’ backyard, his first thought wasn’t snake.

It was.

A rattlesnake struck him once. Then struck again before he could pull back.

That second bite is what nearly killed him. Two strikes from the same snake means double the venom load and double the destruction inside your body. Rattlesnake venom doesn’t just hurt. It breaks down tissue, disrupts blood clotting, and starts attacking organs within hours.

18 Vials In, And He Was Getting Worse

Doctors at Oroville Hospital started him on antivenom immediately. Six vials on arrival. Then 12 more through the night. By day three, his thigh had swollen larger than his torso. His platelet count was dropping.

By day five, Oroville Hospital ran out of antivenom and platelets entirely.

A doctor made calls through the night looking for a toxicology team willing to take the case. At 6 a.m., Howarth was airlifted to Stanford Medical Center. Stanford administered multiple types of antivenom. The final count crossed 40 vials before he stabilized.

He was discharged after 11 days. Now recovering in Idaho, he told reporters the second bite is what changed everything. Most patients need 10 to 18 vials. He needed more than double that.

You can read the original report from Action News Now here.

Why This Matters

This isn’t a freak accident. It’s a pattern.

California poison control officials reported at least 77 rattlesnake-related calls and three deaths in 2026 before summer even started, deeply concerning because California typically sees only one rattlesnake death per year.

Dr. Rais Vohra, medical director for the Fresno/Madera Division of California Poison Control, called the early surge “highly unusual and deeply concerning.”

California’s western rattlesnake, the species most common across the Oroville area foothills, doesn’t just live on trails. It lives in backyards, woodpiles, and irrigation lines. And it’s not the only snake quietly moving into residential spaces.

A homeowner in Connecticut recently found a six-foot snake living in his attic after setting up motion cameras, a reminder that snake encounters aren’t limited to California or to open land.

For the full 2026 surge data, ABC7’s coverage breaks it down here.

What To Do If a Rattlesnake Bites You

Skip everything you’ve seen in movies. None of it works.

Do this:

• Call 911 immediately, antivenom is only available at a hospital
• Stay calm and limit movement to slow venom spread
• Remove rings, watches, tight clothing near the bite
• Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 for guidance on the way

Don’t do this:

• No ice, no tourniquet, no cutting the wound
• Don’t try to suck out venom
• Don’t wait to see if symptoms develop, they can take up to an hour

Small snakes are not safer. Juvenile rattlesnakes can inject a full venom load. Never assume you’re fine just because the pain feels mild at first.

If you want to stay on top of home safety stories like this one as they break, there’s a WhatsApp channel that covers exactly this, snake encounters, home hazards, and what homeowners are actually dealing with right now. Worth having on your radar.

How To Make Your Yard Safer Starting Now

Howarth was fixing a waterline. That detail matters. Irrigation lines and water sources attract rodents. Rodents attract rattlesnakes. That’s the cycle that puts your backyard at risk.

A few practical things you can do this weekend:

• Clear wood piles, debris, and anything with ground-level gaps
• Keep grass trimmed and dense bushes away from fence lines
• Store bird seed and pet food in sealed containers indoors
• Look before you reach into hose bins, grill covers, and garden beds
• If you’re in a high-risk zone, consider quarter-inch galvanized mesh snake fencing buried 8 to 12 inches deep along your perimeter

Most bites in residential areas happen to people who didn’t see the snake. And it’s not always the dramatic species people imagine.

Copperhead snakes are showing up in American homes in increasing numbers, and most homeowners can’t even tell the difference between them and a harmless garden snake until it’s too late.

What Christopher Howarth’s Story Actually Teaches Us

He survived. But it took 40 vials, an airlift, 11 days in the hospital, and the right doctor making calls at midnight to make that happen.

Most people don’t get that lucky chain of events.

The biggest takeaway isn’t “watch out for snakes.” It’s this: your backyard is not automatically safe, especially in California’s foothill regions during summer months. A routine task near water, wood, or garden beds puts you closer to rattlesnake territory than most people realize.

Cases like Howarth’s aren’t isolated. A Montana mom discovered an entire snake den living directly under her home, something her family had no idea about until it was too late to feel comfortable in their own house.

Have you spotted a rattlesnake in your yard or neighborhood this year? Drop it in the comments, especially if you’re in Northern California or another high-risk region. Your experience could help someone else stay safe.

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This article is for informational purposes only. If you or someone near you is bitten by a snake, call 911 immediately or contact the California Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222.