25-year-old OC man dies after rattlesnake bite

[mahatmakanejeeves]

25-year-old OC man dies after rattlesnake bite

By Alexa Mae Asperin | Published March 12, 2026 10:11am PDT | Orange County | FOX 11 |


Julian Hernandez / GoFundMe

The Brief
• Julian Enrique Hernandez has died after a month-long battle in the ICU following a rattlesnake bite at an Irvine trailhead.
• It happened on February 1 near the Quail Hill Community Center while Hernandez was mountain biking, leading to his death on March 4.
• The Orange County Coroner’s Office officially confirmed the cause of death as an animal bite, marking a rare and tragic outcome for a local rattlesnake encounter.

IRVINE, Calif. - A local mountain biking excursion turned fatal for a Costa Mesa man who passed away this week after being bitten by a rattlesnake at an Irvine trailhead.

What we know:
The Irvine Police Department confirmed that the incident took place on February 1 at the Quail Hill Trailhead, located near the Quail Hill Community Center at 39 Shady Canyon Drive.

Julian Enrique Hernandez, 25, was mountain biking in the area when he was bitten by a rattlesnake, officials said. He was immediately transported to a nearby hospital and placed in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Despite over a month of treatment, Hernandez died from injuries sustained during the encounter.

The Orange County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Hernandez and officially attributed his March 4 death to an animal bite.

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