Colorado saw a late snowstorm this week that shut down airports. But Colorado Plains Medical Center in Fort Morgan has already treated its first rattlesnake bite of the year, reports the Fort Morgan Times.
Last weekend a 12-year-old boy was bitten by a young rattlesnake in the basement of his grandparents' house in Orchard. Colorado Plains treated the patient with antivenin, and he was flown to a Denver hospital for further treatment.
Edward Lopez, general surgeon and head of trauma services at Colorado Plains, said it’s a bit early to be treating snake bites. He blames it partly on the warm days, which seem to be coming earlier every year.
Dr. Lopez said he's noticed more reptile activity in Morgan County lately than is usual for this time of year. March temperatures in the 70s have brought them out of hibernation. Rattlesnake bites are most common in the spring, between March and May.