Fall is always a busy time for us as far as nuisance snake calls. As the weather begins to cool, the snakes begin to move toward sites where they can spend the winter. Along the way, they look for a meal or two and some snakes are either giving birth or are looking for a mate. The nights in early fall are a little cooler than usual and snakes often spend morning hours warming up in the sunlight before it gets too hot. On October 8, 2007 at about 9:00 a.m. a lady named Pamela walked out of her house to get something out of her car. All of a sudden she felt something prick her foot. She looked down and realized that she had stepped on a snake. The sandals she wore offered no protection and the snakes fangs easily penetrated her skin and injected its venom. Speaking on behalf of the snake that was killed immediately after, the snake was not lying in wait for a victim to approach the car but was instead warming itself on the concrete driveway in the early morning sun when something much larger than itself stepped directly on top of it. The snake then instinctively struck at Pamela's foot as an attempt to save its own life. Though we don't condone the killing of any snake, even a venomous one, it is easier to understand why a person might feel the need to kill a venomous snake especially one that just bit them. Pamela then called 911 who in turn put her in contact with Jason Clark of Southeastern Reptile Rescue. Pamela called Jason and told him that she had just been bitten on the foot by snake and she did not know if it was venomous or not. Jason asked if she felt any pain and Pamela said, "Yes, it feels like a hundred bees are stinging my foot at once." Jason told her to hang up and call 911. Pamela then said, "I already called 911. They gave me your number and told me I should call you!" Jason told her to hang up the phone and call 911 again and that he would also be on the way to her house to help her until an ambulance arrived. Jason arrived at Pamela's house and identified the now dead snake as a copperhead. Jason also told Pamela that when the paramedics arrived that they may try to put an ice pack on the swollen area of the foot and that she should not allow them to do this. Jason further explained to Pamela that ice on a snake bite is the leading cause of amputation because the ice starts to freeze the cells which allows the venom to do more damage to tissue resulting in excessive scarring and in some cases amputation. Shortly after several paramedics arrived, one of them asked where the snake was. Jason told him that it was a copperhead and that it was dead. The paramedic told Jason that he himself needed to see the snake to postively identify it. After the paramedic saw the 30" copperhead he told Pamela, "Ma'am, you're lucky. That was a baby copperhead that bit you. If it had been a full grown adult snake you would probably be dead." I tried to explain to the man that the dead copperhead that bit Pamela was a full grown adult and that newborn baby copperheads are only about 6" inches long. Apparently the paramedic knew nothing about snakes as he strongly disagreed and then sent another comrad of his to go get an ice pack for Pamela's foot. Pamela then spoke up and said, No! I don't want an ice pack. Right Jason?" Jason said, "Thats right Pamela. Don't let them put an ice pack on that bite. It may cause more damage." The paramedic asked Jason if he knew the victim. Pamela interjected, "No. We don't know each other. But, Jason is a snake expert."   Medical professionals obviously don't like being told they are wrong especially by non-medical personnel. Pamela ened up declining a ride in the ambulance and instead had a family member take her to the hospital. Pamela spent a night in the hospital and did receive several vials of anti-venom and lots of pain medication. The next day she was home recovering with her swollen foot propped on a pillow. 

 Moral of the story - if you see a copperhead in your driveway, don't step on it!

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