Rattlesnake Drops From Tree, Bites Fire Official
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EL PORTAL, Calif. — A forestry fire captain was bitten by an 18-inch rattlesnake that dropped from a tree near a school west of Yosemite National Park.
Jim Huntsman was flown to Memorial Hospital in Modesto and was listed in stable condition Saturday, a nursing supervisor said.
Huntsman leaned his hand against a tree for balance while supervising a California Youth Authority work crew near El Portal School on Friday, said Kevin Smith, also a state Department of Forestry captain.
The rattlesnake dropped out of the tree and bit Huntsman, but he was able to radio for help, Smith added.
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