LYTLE CREEK — A 52-year-old Norco man who was bit by a snake while walking in the Lytle Creek wash died late Monday, coroner's officials said.
Ross Cooke drove himself to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Fontana on Friday after he was bit on the shin by what authorities suspect was a Southern Pacific rattlesnake. He was later transferred to Loma Linda University Medical Center where he was pronounced dead 10:08 p.m. Monday, San Bernardino County coroner's spokesman Randy Emon said.
"When he was admitted he was alert and conscious and then he developed neurological conditions," Emon said.
Cooke suffered numerous strokes due to a condition called disseminated intravascular coagulation, Emon said.
Cooke, who worked for a refrigeration company, was taking a break between jobs when he stopped at the wash north of Interstate 15 and Sierra Avenue, Emon said.
"He was all alone and he was walking along the wash," Emon said. "He thought he just stepped on a log or a stick or something. He was about 500 feet from his car. He went back to his car, called his work and told them what happened."
The man didn't know what type of snake bit him, but San Bernardino County sheriff's Deputy Chief Mike Cardwell said it was probably a Southern Pacific rattlesnake because of the location.
San Bernardino County has not had a death from a poisonous snake in about 12 years, Cardwell said, and they tend to be rare nationwide as well. The last death he could recall was a man who was bit by a rattlesnake in Victorville 10 to 12 years ago, he said.
"Snakes are commonly believed to kill between five to 15 people a year in the United States," Cardwell said.
What happened to Cooke is one of the two most common causes of snake bites: accidentally bothering a snake. But emergency rooms also see snake bites caused by people who bother the reptiles purposely.
"Years ago, most bites occurred on the feet and legs," Cardwell said. "Today, they occur on the hands and forearms."
Seeking immediate medical attention from a facility that has antivenom is extremely important, Cardwell said. While the chances of dying from a rattlesnake bite are small, about half the cases result in tissue damage, he said.
"Most rattlesnake venoms do a lot of tissue damage around the site of the bite," he said.
