Pennsylvania woman bitten by venomous copperhead snake while doing laundry
Jordan CulverA Pennsylvania woman was taken to the hospital after she was bitten by a venomous copperhead snake when she went to her basement to do laundry.
EMS and the Central Berks Regional Police Department responded to the incident, and Judy Reed was transported to Reading Hospital in good condition on Tuesday, police told USA TODAY.
The snake that bit her was on a shelf in the basement, police said.
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The Reading Eagle in Pennsylvania reported the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission arrived on scene, identified the snake as a copperhead and then bagged it and transported it "to a safer location."
A "Species Spotlight" released by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission in a 2015 edition of its Pennsylvania Angler and Boater magazine featured the copperhead. In it, the copperhead is described as a "quiet" snake, which "does it's best to avoid trouble, quietly stealing to a safe retreat whenever it can."
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"The bite and resultant injection of venom is painful," the commission said in the publication. "But with prompt medical attention, it seldom poses any serious threat to life."
Copperhead bites account for more cases of venomous snake bite than any other North American species. But its venom is the least toxic and seldom fatal.
Copperheads, timber rattlesnakes and eastern massasauga rattlesnakes are the three species of venomous snakes in Pennsylvania, according to the Fish and Boat Commission. Copperheads are the most common.
The woman's home is located in a mountainous region of eastern Pennsylvania and a person getting bitten by a copperhead inside their own home is an incredibly rare occurrence, police said.
