Man, 21, bitten by venomous snake while hiking in New Jersey

Publish date: 2024-05-18

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A 21-year-old man was bitten by a venomous snake while hiking after dark in New Jersey, according to a new report. 

Kevin Murray, of Pennington, was hiking in Hopewell Township Aug. 5 when the copperhead snake suddenly struck — but he didn’t realize what had happened until he fell down, he told WPVI-TV. 

“I just felt a sharp sting right on my ankle,” Murray told the station. 

Then a few feet away, he spotted his scaly attacker — which a herpetologist later identified as a copperhead.

The large snakes, found throughout the southern and eastern US, are responsible for more venomous bites than any other in the country — partly because their population is so widespread, according to National Geographic. 

“I don’t know much about snakes,” Murray told the local outlet. “I just assumed it would be a garden snake or something that wasn’t much of a problem.”

He snapped a photo of the snake — a decision that may have saved his life because doctors at Capital Health knew precisely how to treat him, he told the outlet. 

Kevin Murray shows the part of his ankle that was bitten by the snake. Kevin Murray via Beccah Hendrick

“They brought me to the ICU to monitor my heart rate to make sure the venom wasn’t spreading to my heart,” he said.

Luckily, the venom didn’t spread, and Murray didn’t need antivenom. 

“It is common not to require antivenom in all cases,” Dr. Robert Bassett, associate medical director for Philadelphia Poison Control, told the outlet.

He added that venomous snakes are uncommon in the region.

“It makes up a very small percentage of the total snakes we have in the area,” Bassett said.

But, he added, the incident happened during the snakes’ breeding season, which brings out more aggressive behavior.

“This is kind of snakebite season,” he added. “We typically think of the warmer weather as being associated with more activity with snakes.”

Copperhead venom is hemolytic — meaning it breaks down blood cells — but it is not among the most potent and rarely deadly, according to National Geographic.

Children, the elderly and immunocompromised people face the greatest risk. 

Copperhead venom is hemolytic and rarely deadly. Alamy Stock Photo
The snake that bit Kevin Murray while on his hike. Kevin Murray via Beccah Hendrick

No one has ever died from a copperhead bite in New Jersey, the state Division of Fish and Wildlife told WPVI.

Murray spent three days at the hospital before returning home. 

“There’s no long-term side effects they think are going to happen,” he told the local station. “So I got a great story out of it.”

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