Little girl rescued after rattlesnake bite in Northern Colorado inspired by park rangers who saved her
By Dillon Thomas
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DENVER, Colorado (KCNC) — The Drake Center in Northern Colorado was filled with joy, hope, and tears this week, not because of the loss of life, but because of lives saved.
Poudre Fire Authority’s annual Survivors Event in Fort Collins reunited people who survived life-threatening emergencies with the first responders, dispatchers and medical teams who helped save them.
Among the stories shared was that of Irene Catania, who was seven years old when she was bitten twice by a rattlesnake while hiking with her mother at Lory State Park.
“My daughter Irene, who was seven at the time, we’re going down trail, and she runs up to me, freaked out, and she’s been bit by a rattlesnake twice,” said Sara Bartel, Irene’s mother.
Fortunately, the family had cellphone service and called 911.
“So it’s pretty urgent to get there,” said Lincoln Jacoway, a park ranger with Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Jacoway was the first responder to arrive on the scene. As Irene’s condition worsened, responders worked quickly to get her off the trail.
“With how rapidly she was deteriorating, we decided to just put her in what we call a big wheel, and then wheel her out of the Well Gulch (Natural) Trail to a landing zone,” Jacoway said.
“She started reacting by that point, and then the helicopter came,” Bartel said.
UCHealth’s LifeLine team flew Irene to Children’s Hospital Colorado, administering antivenom during the flight.
“She was walking a few weeks later and has made a full recovery and is doing really great,” Bartel said.
At the Survivors Event, Irene and her mother reunited with the people who helped save her life.
“Nobody contacts them after to say she’s okay, we’re fine. So it was really special to be able to thank them,” Bartel said.
For first responders, the event also served as a reminder of why they do the job.
“Usually you kind of just focus on the bad ones, and today you get to really focus on the good ones,” Jacoway said. “Getting to help people is why I do what I do, and so seeing the people you get to help really helps keep that fire going.”
Inspired by the park rangers who first responded to the emergency, Irene now says she wants to become a park ranger when she grows up. Those with CPW honored her at the event with a “future park ranger” award and stuffed animal.
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