A 23-year-old woman from central Pennsylvania faced a premature end to her holiday festivities
when she was bitten by a poisonous snake at Ohiopyle in Fayette County this weekend.
It happened at about 11:45 p.m. Friday.
“They were carrying their stuff back to their campsite, the girl felt something bite her foot and immediately told the people that she was with,” Stacie Faust, assistant manager at Ohiopyle State Park, said.
She was flown to UPMC Presbyterian in Oakland and treated with anti-venom.
A quick-thinking friend may have saved her life.
“The guy luckily saw the snake and killed it, and that was how we were able to easily identify it, that it was indeed a copperhead,” Faust said.
Northern Copperheads are the most common type of poisonous snake in western Pennsylvania. They have been spotted in many counties in the area, including Allegheny, Westmoreland and Butler.
UPMC Toxicologist Dr. Kenneth Katz offered advice on what people should do if they are ever bitten by a snake.
“Do not apply ice. Do not apply tourniquets. Do not use suction kits,” he said.
These actions could be harmful to the victim.
Faust suggests people use caution while at Ohiopyle.
“It’s not uncommon to find them scattered throughout the park. If there are rock piles, brushy areas, it’s good to avoid those areas,” she said.
For the victim of this particular snake bite, there was a happy ending. She refused to let the incident dampen her spirits and even wanted to go back to the campground after being treated and released.