Toddler bitten 3 times by rattlesnake in California

JAMUL, Calif. – A doctor says a toddler who was bitten three times by a rattlesnake is lucky to be alive.

Relatives tell KGTV in San Diego that A.J. Taylor was bitten on the stomach as he played Friday on the patio of his grandparent's home in Jamul, about 20 miles east of San Deigo. He was able to return to the home Saturday, where he is recovering nicely.

Grandmother Dian Taylor says she hopes what happened to A.J. can be a lesson to others because the heat is bringing out the rattlesnakes and they blend in so well that you can't see them and they strike so fast, it's hard to get away from them.

The doctor says if more venom had been released into the boy's system, he could have died.