An 18-year-old high school cheerleader was left hospitalized after being bitten by a venomous copperhead snake as she was practicing her moves in her backyard.
Paris Montgomery often records herself practicing her cheerleading tumbles in the backyard of her home in Houston, Texas. However, last week, she was stunned after cell phone footage showed her being bitten on the foot after stepping on a viper.
You can see the moment Paris was bitten below:
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After being bitten, Paris recoils in shock, taking off her sock to rub her foot. She then attempts to start her routine, but she is so overcome with pain that she just lays down, clutching her foot.
A little over a minute after the bite, Paris was able to hobble inside and seek help.
Her mom, Tracy, says the snake bit the teenager so fast that she did not realize what had happened - initially believing that she had scratched her foot on a stick.
However, after realizing that Paris had been bitten by a snake, her family rushed her to Woodlands Texas Children’s Hospital, where she was received anti-venom treatment.
Paris told news station KTRK:
"I was about to video myself tumbling, and I was just taking my shoes off, and I stepped on a snake and it bit me. Something just started hurting. I didn’t find out it was a snake. When we got to the emergency room we were trying to find out what happened, and we zoomed in and they told me it was a snake."
The teenager is recovering well, despite still not being able to walk on her injured foot. Tracy has also shared the video online in a bid to warn others of the potential danger lurking in their yard.
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Writing on Facebook, Tracy said: "Day 4 and Paris is recovering so well. Her foot is still little purple but it don’t hurt as bad and she’s starting to be able to do a little more with it and get around better. She still uses the crutches cause cannot walk on it yet. [sic]"
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According to LiveScience.com: "Copperhead snakes are some of the more commonly seen North American snakes. They're also the most likely to bite, although their venom is relatively mild, and their bites are rarely fatal for humans."