The Colorado Springs-area community has rallied around a local family in the wake of their 6-year-old son’s death after he was bitten by a rattlesnake last week.

On July 5, Simon Currat was on an evening bike ride with his father and sister in the Bluestem Prairie Open Space in Security-Widefield. Authorities said the boy encountered the snake when he got off of his bike to look at a mile marker.

Currat’s father, Nic, who did not have his phone at the time, then located a passerby and used their phone to call 911. 

Around 8 p.m., members of the Security Fire Department responded to the trail where Currat was bitten and rushed him to Children’s Hospital Colorado in Colorado Springs. He was later taken to the Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora, where he died, the El Paso County Coroner’s Office said.

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Two separate fundraising campaigns (GoFundMe and GiveSendGo) have collectively raised nearly $50,000 as of Wednesday afternoon to help cover medical and funeral expenses.

Nationally, deaths from snakebites are incredibly rare.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that of the estimated 8,000 bites from venomous snakes that occur each year, only five are fatal.

The Front Range’s short grass prairie is prime habitat for the rattlesnake — Colorado’s only venomous snake species — but Currat’s death marks El Paso County’s first reported fatal bite in recent decades.

In fact, El Paso County residents are more likely to die from lightning than from a snake bite. 

Colorado is ranked fourth in the nation for lightning fatalities, according to National Weather Service data from 1959 to 2019.

Don Watkins, captain of the Colorado Springs Fire Department’s medical division, said that within city limits, the department has responded to just one rattlesnake bite since January 2020. Most rattlesnake sightings have occurred in places like Garden of the Gods, Ute Valley Park and other open areas.

“(But) we emphasize that if you live in Colorado Springs, they can be anywhere in the city,” he said.

Avoidance is the best tactic when encountering a rattlesnake, officials said. Drew Vrbenec, a Colorado Parks and Wildlife district wildlife management officer, said that outdoor-goers are more prone to snake bites during the warmer months, which see an uptick in both snake and human activity. 

“They’re seen quite a bit more in the early mornings and the late afternoons,” he said. “They come out in the morning to try to get the first sun rays to heat up their body temperature and again in the evenings. It’s important to stay extra vigilant during those times when you’re out hiking the trails.”

If given plenty of space on a trail, rattlesnakes are unlikely to attack. Vrbenec discouraged the use of headphones and earbuds while on the trail, as rattlesnakes generally seek to avoid confrontation but will use their characteristic tail rattle as an “auditory warning” before striking.

In the event of a rattlesnake bite, Parks and Wildlife advises that the victim move away from the snake, remain calm and call 911 immediately. The wound should be allowed to bleed freely for 30 seconds before being cleansed with soap and water or, ideally, iodine.

The area of the body with the bite should be kept level with the heart, as in the victim should not keep the bite raised above or below the level of their heart. Also, increased movement can speed up the spread of venom within the body.

A tourniquet or mouth suction should absolutely not be applied, officials said. If hospital treatment is far away and the bite is on a hand, finger, foot or lower arm or leg, a wide elastic bandage should be wrapped quickly from just above the bite past the knee or elbow joint to immobilize, but not cut off circulation to the affected limb.

A detailed list of information on rattlesnakes and how to prevent or attend to a rattlesnake bite can be found here.