The woman was bitten by a copperhead snake in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Credit: Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Ree Lawson was bitten by a copperhead snake hiding in jasmine vines on her porch in Myrtle Beach, S.C., per local outlet WMBF
- She struggled to find antivenom, visiting urgent care and two hospitals before receiving treatment hours later
- Lawson, a bass player, feared losing her hand or finger, which could have ended her music career
A woman said she needed to visit three different hospitals after requiring a dose of antivenom for a copperhead snake bite in South Carolina.
Ree Lawson was bitten on the hand while on the back porch of her home in Myrtle Beach, S.C., according to local outlet WMBF. The snake had been hiding amid jasmine vines.
“It was a sharp shearing sensation, kind of like I’ve been shot,” Lawson told the news station.
She rushed to an urgent care facility and then the nearest emergency room, and neither had the antivenom she required for the bite. She was transferred to another hospital, which finally had the medication she needed.
“It was a few hours before I got the antivenom, which was absolutely terrifying and horrifying,” Lawson said, per the outlet. “You spend the whole time thinking… I’m going to lose this hand, or I’m going to lose this finger, and it’s terrifying.”
Lawson, who plays bass for the local band The Goofy Footers, told WMBF that she was “just losing my mind” at the thought of losing a finger or hand.
Copperhead snakes are found across much of the East Coast of the U.S. and are commonly found as far west as Texas in forests, rocky areas, swamps and near water, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The snakes range from tan to vibrant copper as their name would suggest, and feature diamond-patterned scales on their bodies.
Credit: WMBF News/YouTube
“If bitten, receiving antivenom as soon as possible helps limbs to recover faster and it lessens the chance that a limb will be disabled after copperhead snake envenomation,” per the CDC.
Credit: Getty
The agency says the snakes are not typically aggressive, but “will freeze if frightened, and strike if they feel threatened.”
The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission says that the copperhead is “the most common and widespread venomous snake in North Carolina.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The incident comes weeks after soccer player Joshua Kimmich, captain of the German Men’s National Team, spotted one of the snakes while in Winston-Salem, N.C., the team’s World Cup training headquarters.
Read the full article here
