Woman Suffers Rare Snakebite on Pa. Trail

Aug. 06--A woman apparently suffered a rare snakebite along the Yough River Trail in Perry Township Sunday evening.

She was flown via medical helicopter to a Pittsburgh hospital. Her name has not yet been released.

The call came into emergency personnel at 9:19 p.m., and the woman was picked up by Fayette Emergency Medical Services along state Route 51 in Perryopolis. She was whisked to the helicopter landing zone in Perry Township, according to township Assistant Fire Chief A.J. Boni.

The woman, in her early to mid-30s, was reportedly bitten on the right hand, Boni said. Reports the woman was bitten by a northern copperhead snake could not be confirmed, but Boni said it was likely. She was flown to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh.

It is unclear if the woman was riding a bicycle at the time of the incident or if she was with companions.

"I don't know how she got from the trail to where we picked her up," Boni said.

"I don't know if it was a situation where somebody tried taking her by car and stopped and called the ambulance."

A state police spokeswoman said they had no information on the incident and that law enforcement might not have been called. State police cover Perry Township.

Rick Abobato, director of operations for Fayette EMS, did not return several phone messages Monday.

Boni said this was the first snakebite incident "in years" on the trail's 11-mile stretch that travels through Perry Township. In total, the trail winds 71 miles between McKeesport and Confluence.

"There are definitely copperheads on that trail," Boni said. "There's no maybe about that."

Fayette County Waterway's Conservation Officer Scott Opfer, who handles snake-related calls in his district, said it's the first reported snakebite along the trail in his 13 years covering the area.

"I bet it was a copperhead; they're more common than rattlesnakes. But you usually hear of them up on the Connellsville-to-Ohiopyle section of the trail," Opfer said.

"I haven't had a snake call since I've been here, other than when somebody caught a rattlesnake and took it home and it escaped."

Opfer said it is illegal to kill a copperhead snake without a permit.

Copperheads are Pennsylvania's most common venomous snake and can be found in all but the state's northernmost counties, according to the state Fish and Boat Commission website.

They prefer to reside in abandoned foundations, rock walls and rocky hillsides and can be found in dens with timber rattlesnakes, the site indicated.

"I've stepped over copperheads and didn't realize it until I turned around and saw it. If you step on one, it's going to be threatened, and it's going to strike back," Opfer said. "I've never heard of anyone dying from a copperhead bite, though."

Boni had advice for anyone confronting a snake along the bike trail.

"If you do encounter a snake, get off the bicycle and walk slowly keeping the bike between you and snake," Boni said. "One thing about a snake, give it room and it will give you room."

Rick Bruni Jr. is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at rbruni@tribweb.com or 724-684-2635.

Copyright 2013 - The Valley Independent, Monessen, Pa.