Boulder – A 2-year-old child was bitten on the ankle by a rattlesnake at a Boulder trailhead Monday.
The child was with a parent at the South Mesa Trailhead at 4001 Eldorado Springs Drive when the rattler struck, according to Boulder County Sheriff’s Deputy Ken Rosales.
A city park ranger took the child’s father and the child to the trailhead’s parking lot, where paramedics began treatment.
The child was taken by ambulance to Boulder Community Hospital, then airlifted to The Children’s Hospital in Denver.The child’s name was not released.
Earlier this month, a Boulder County Sheriff’s deputy shot an aggressive 5-foot rattler at an apartment complex in Superior. That snake did not bite anyone.
Rattlesnakes, one of only two venomous species in Colorado, are common sights to hikers in the spring as the vipers emerge from hibernation and warm themselves in the sunlight. Authorities advise staying far away, warning people to be careful where they sit, step or put their hands.
EVERGREEN
Small plane lands safely in Elk Meadow
A small plane made an emergency landing in an Evergreen meadow at about 9:16 a.m. Monday, and the two occupants of the plane walked away without injury, officials say.
After taking off from Centennial Airport, the plane experienced engine trouble over the foothills and the pilot looked for a place to land, said Christy McCormick, a dispatcher for the Evergreen Fire Department.
She said the pilot considered landing the plane at Hiwan Golf Course but decided not to because there were too many golfers.
The plane landed safely nearby in Elk Meadow Open Space in Evergreen, McCormick said.
Jim Shires, spokesman for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, said he didn’t know the name of the plane’s occupants or what type of plane it was.
Shires said investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board were called in to review what caused the emergency landing.
AURORA
Three armed robbers invade apartment
One person was injured as three armed robbers broke into an Aurora apartment Sunday and stole several possessions and then fled, officials say.
Shortly after 10 a.m. the three gunman entered an apartment in the 1000 block of North Cimarron Circle, Aurora police spokesman Robert Friel said.
One person inside the apartment suffered minor injuries during the home invasion, Friel said. He did not identify the victims.
No shots were fired, he said.
The suspects were described as three men 19 to 20 years old.
DENVER
School closings back on agenda tonight
The third of five public meetings to discuss closing or changing some Denver schools is scheduled for tonight, 6:30 to 8 p.m., at the Montbello Recreation Center gym, 15555 E. 53rd Ave. The other meetings, both from 6:30 to 8 p.m., are Wednesday at the Temple Sinai social hall, 3509 S. Glencoe St.; and Thursday at St. Anthony Central Hospital, auditoriums A & B, 4231 W. 16th Ave.
BUENA VISTA
Man dies on raft trip on Arkansas River
A 47-year-old man died Monday during a rafting trip in the Brown’s Canyon area of the Arkansas River near Buena Vista in Chaffee County.
A spokeswoman for the Colorado River Outfitters Association said the circumstances were still being investigated late Monday evening.
The trip was a training outing, not a public trip, said Julia Schneider, association spokeswoman. She said she could not release further details until the man’s family had been notified.
WELD COUNTY
SUV collision kills 1, puts 2 in hospital
The Colorado State Patrol was still trying Monday night to get the name of a man thrown from a vehicle in an early-morning accident in Weld County.
The driver and another passenger in the sport utility vehicle had not identified the man, who was killed, Master Trooper Ron Watkins said.
The crash occurred at 2:10 a.m. at U.S. 85 and Weld County Road 16 near Fort Lupton when a 1998 Ford Expedition collided with a 2004 Cadillac Escalade. The unidentified man, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from the Expedition. The driver of the Expedition and a passenger were taken to Denver Health Medical Center with moderate injuries.
The driver of the Escalade and a passenger were treated for minor injuries at North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley.
The crash is under investigation, Watkins said.
There “is a strong possibility of alcohol as a contributing factor,” Watkins said.
