Grisly pictures show aftermath of rattlesnake bite — as victim speaks out
A San Diego woman, Diane Distefano, was bitten by a young rattlesnake while gardening in her backyard, resulting in visible trauma to her hand. Doctors determined it was a "dry bite," meaning no venom was injected, so antivenom was not required. With rattlesnake encounters rising due to San Diego's warm winter, health officials urge calm and immediate 911 calls if bitten.
- ▪Diane Distefano was bitten while pulling milkweed in her University City backyard.
- ▪The bite was classified as a "dry bite," which occurs in about 25% of rattlesnake strikes, according to Dr. William Woo of Kaiser Permanente.
- ▪A toddler in San Diego required 30 vials of antivenom in 2024, resulting in a $200,000 medical bill due to high costs of production and hospital markups.
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Metro Grisly pictures show aftermath of rattlesnake bite — as victim speaks out By Nina Joudeh Published April 28, 2026, 6:52 p.m. ET A San Diego woman’s peaceful morning gardening session ended with a venomous visitor, a trip to the ER and a crash course in why rattlesnake season is no joke. Diane Distefano was elbow-deep in her University City backyard garden when she felt something bite her. “And you know, I’m not thinking of anything. I’m just reaching around pulling out the milkweed, and I couldn’t see my hand,” Distefano told CBS 8. 6 Diane Distefano was elbow-deep in her University City backyard pulling milkweed when a young rattlesnake bit her hand. Instagram/@miltymom 6 Distefano’s garden.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at California Post.
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