Columbia boy bitten by a rattlesnake as activity increases in late summer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia family had quite a scare last month when their 11-year-old son began screaming in their backyard.

A venomous timber rattlesnake bit Logan Boldan in the ankle one August evening when he was bringing his dog inside. His mom said they heard Logan scream and took him to the hospital that night.

"It was horrible," Melissa Boldan said. "I think as a parent, we're constantly finding new things to worry about. It just wasn't on my radar as something to even think about."

Missouri Department of Conservation spokesperson Maddie Fennewald said Missourians need to be on the lookout for snakes this time of year, as transitional weather tends to bring more snakes out during the day.

"Snakes are going to become a little bit more active during the day because they are going to be needing to come out, get some sunlight and warm up with those cooler nights, whereas during the summer, a lot of the time, they're more active at night because it is cooler [than daytime]," Fennewald said.

The Missouri Department of Conservation reports timber rattlensakes are "dangerously venomous" and their bites require immediate medical attention. They are the only species of rattlesnake found in Mid-Missouri, Fennewald said.

Logan's mom said after he was bitten, his foot started changing in color and doubled in size in a matter of minutes. That's when they knew to take him to the hospital.

She said they took him to the hospital on a Tuesday as doctors monitored the discoloration and swelling move up from Logan's ankle to his calf. The swelling started to recede on Friday morning when he was later discharged on crutches.

"Fortunately, it was more than anything monitoring the progression of the venom and making sure that it was not going past a point where they had to worry about him having long-term effects from it," Melissa Boldan said.

Fennewald said timber rattlesnake bites are not very common but they do happen. She said it's typically copperhead bites that are heard about in Missouri.

The MDC describes timber rattlesnakes as Missouri's largest rattlesnake. They can be yellow, tan, brown or gray and usually have a rust-colored stripe on their backs with a large rattle.

Fennewald said the snakes are usually found in rocky, wooded hillsides. If people encounter a snake, she said they should give it a wide berth and leave it be.

If someone is bitten by a snake, Fennewald said they should get out of the area, take off any sort of jewelry or other items that will restrict the bite area and go to a doctor immediately.

The Boldan's backyard backs up to a wooded area where Melissa Boldan said a tree had also recently been struck by lightning, leaving dead limbs and brush in the area of the backyard where Logan was bitten.

She wonders in retrospect if they would've cleaned that area up faster whether the snake would have been in their yard at all.

"There's a little bit more of a heightened awareness," Melissa Boldan said. "So, we're just going to try to clear some of that brush out and cover it with some ground cover."

Logan is back to normal now, and he said his biggest advice to others is to wear appropriate shoes when they're outside.

"Definitely wear close-toed shoes," Logan said. "When I got bit, I was wearing my slides, so that ended up in me getting bit."

MDC reports the snakes are mainly active from April through October, basking on sunny rocks in the fall.

The Boldans' neighbor identified a nest of timber rattlesnakes in the woods.

Dr. Chris Sampson at University Hospital's emergency department said snake bites are rare, with most bites occurring in warmer months. A spokesperson said the hospital does not specifically track snake bite patients and is not aware of any unusual increases in snake bite patients recently.