A county helicopter was called in shortly after 3 p.m. to guide deputies and paramedics to a spot on an Encinitas golf course where someone had been bitten by a rattlesnake.
The sheriff's department said the victim was experiencing numbness on a large part of their body after the rattler bit them at the Encinitas Ranch Golf Course, which is east of Interstate 5 and bisected by Leucadia Boulevard in the North County city.
Herpetologists warn people to be vigilant for the snakes when the weather turns hot, with the reptiles basking in the sun after a cold stretch.
While potentially lethal, a rattlesnake bite can typically be treated with a shot of antivenin. The CDC estimates that between 7,000-8,000 people a year are bitten by venomous snakes in the U.S., with roughly 5 people dying from the bites each year.
Get San Diego local news, weather forecasts, sports and lifestyle stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC San Diego newsletters.
However, "[disability] and permanent injury (such as the loss of part or all of a finger or the function of it) are much more common, reported to be between 10%-44% in patients with rattlesnake bites."
