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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Laura Sharman

Boy, 6, dies being bitten by a rattlesnake which turned him purple on family bike ride

A six-year-old boy has died after being bitten by a rattlesnake during a bike ride with his dad and sister.

Simon Currat was removed from life support after the snake bite sent him into a coma on July 5.

The six-year-old had been cycling with his dad Nic and three-year-old sister Renee at Bluestem Prairie Open Space in Colorado Springs, in the US.

When the family stopped for water, Simon ran ahead to take a look at a mile marker sign before yelling " rattlesnake ".

The youngster then collapsed and started to turn purple as his father raced towards him.

Nic did not have his phone so he picked up his son and rushed him to the nearest neighbourhood, with Renee running beside them.

Paramedics were called but Simon suffered a cardiac arrest and was airlifted to hospital.

Security Fire Battalion Chief Derek Chambers responded to the emergency.

"Being a dad myself it really, really hits home," he told CBS local news.

"As soon as the kid was bitten, the dad grabbed him and started running toward the street, screaming for help."

Simon was given anti-venom treatment at a local hospital before being transferred to a children's hospital in Colorado Springs.

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After several days without brain response, the little boy was removed from life support on Sunday.

On the same day that Simon was bitten, his older sister Anna suffered a sustained seizure.

The eight-year-old, who was left blind and non verbal after birth complications, was treated at the same hospital where Simon spent his last days.

"Due to the complexity of her care, and at the request of the family, she remained hospitalised under the care of the hospital through the journey of the last two days of Simon's life," a message reads on the family's fundraiser page.

"This was a great blessing to the family."

As Simon's condition worsened, his mum Lindsey Currat asked family and friends on social media to join in prayer for his recovery.

Doctors told Nic and Lindsey on July 7 that they did not think Simon had much longer to live and that he had severe swelling of the brain.

On July 9, they were told there were no signs of life in their son's brain and made the difficult decision to remove life support.

Simon died the following day.

More than $38,500 (£32,500) has been raised of a $150,000 (£126,500) goal to cover the family's funeral costs and help them cope with the tragedy.

Chambers said Simon was the first child to die from a rattlesnake bite in more than a decade.

The creatures are highly venomous and a bite is a medical emergency but death is extremely rare.

They only tend to bite when they feel provoked or threatened but conflicts do occur if they slither into populated areas.

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