A California woman suffered a terrifying experience when she was bitten by a rattlesnake while tending to a rosebush outside her luxurious home.
Linda Martin, 54, didn’t think twice when she went barefoot on Saturday evening to trim a few plants in the driveway of her $1.3 million house in Stevenson Ranch, a community right next to Santa Clarita.
But before she could even make the first cut, Martin suddenly felt a sharp pain in her left foot.
She lifted a bush and saw the culprit – a rattlesnake slithering amongst the flowers. A surveillance camera on her house captured Martin letting out a sharp cry before running back inside, calling for her husband’s help.
‘Oh God, Bryson!’ she could be heard shouting as she ran.
Martin told CBS News that there was no warning before the bite, as she did not hear the snake make its trademark rattling sound.
But in less than a minute, she could already feel the effects of the reptile’s venom. Her fingertips started tingling, then the sensation moved to her jaw, her cheeks and even her tongue.
Just another minute later, she was on the floor of her house, with her legs numb and unable to walk, Martin said on Facebook. She tried to call 911, but the call would not go through.
Linda Martin, 54, was bitten by a rattlesnake while tending to a rose bush in her luxurious California home’s driveway on Saturday evening
A surveillance camera on Martin’s house captured her letting out a piercing cry after she was bitten. She is pictured bending over to observe the bite
Martin posted this photo of her left foot where she was bitten as she was recovering in the hospital the morning after the bite
She tried a second time, but still no luck. A third panicked dial still refused to connect.
That is when her husband told her to just ‘Get in the car,’ Martin told CBS.
After a frantic 10-minute drive, the couple made it to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital’s emergency room in Santa Clarita. She was administered antivenom, and the effects quickly wore off.
Martin recovered without issue, but the experience left her rattled.
‘If my family wasn’t home to drive me to the hospital, I don’t know what I would’ve done,’ she wrote on Facebook.
Martin told CBS that she is now considering getting a landline and that she will definitely not be gardening barefoot again.
‘Next time in the garden, I’m going to wear a hazmat suit, because I’m afraid to go,’ Martin joked. ‘But, I certainly won’t go gardening without wearing boots.’
While recovering in the hospital, Martin said on Facebook: ‘Sitting in ICU this morning with so much gratitude for the staff at Henry Mayo Hospital, and my family who were able to get me here in time to get the anti-venom administered quickly.’
Martin tried calling 911 three times after she was bitten, but the calls would not connect. Her husband, Bryson Martin, drove her to the hospital where she was administered antivenom
Although Martin’s encounter with a rattlesnake ended with her not being seriously hurt or dying, experts told CBS News that snakes have been attacking people in greater numbers this year and that fatalities are on track to be higher than average.
Lee Cantrell, a director at the California Poison Control System, told the outlet that in 2025, the state agency received a little more than 400 calls about rattlesnake bites.
In the first six months of 2026, the number of calls was 250, indicating that California is expected to have 20 percent more rattlesnake bites compared to last year.
On average across the US, there are five to 10 deaths caused by venomous snake bites every year, Cantrell said.
So far in 2026, there have been three confirmed snakebite fatalities in the US, all of which occurred in California.
If bitten by a snake, the Mayo Clinic recommends not waiting for symptoms to emerge and immediately calling 911.
It also recommends getting far away from the snake, remaining calm, avoiding movement, loosely wrapping the bite in a clean bandage and keeping any affected limb near heart level if possible to slow the spread of the venom.
The clinic additionally recommends not using a tourniquet or applying ice and not attempting to remove the venom. Trying to remember the snake’s appearance is also advisable, as knowing what kind caused the bite can help with treatment.
