Has there been an actual RECORDED death from a copperhead snake bite?

Question

I was told in a college zoology course that there had never be an actual recorded death from a copperhead snake bite. I dont want a bunch of answers saying "YES, there has"... from people that dont really know. If you are not sure about it I don't want your opinion.... i just want the facts!

Answer 1

I checked the scientific publications online about lethal cases caused by Agkistrodon contortrix (North American copperheads) and there are none.
Several websites mention "rare casualties" but with no source for their data.

The Australian copperheads (genus Austrelaps) which are not particularly related (they're Elapids, not Crotalids), don't seem to be linked to lethal cases either.

Check for yourself: http://scholar.google.com
No deaths among 178 cases from the Carolinas:
http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=14561933
Considered "less serious" than rattlesnakes or water moccasins:
http://www.jtrauma.com/pt/re/jtrauma/abstract.00005373-199608000-00004.htm;jsessionid=FK8pDLH5plyW3phXhTqGLMZn4yxm23549h1TGrGtbG4Z8ndtppxH!135410792!-949856145!8091!-1

Answer 2

This was documented by a Venomous Snake Handler who is a wildlife rescuer, and was bitten by a Southern Copperhead, its a bit long, sorry bout that, but well worth the read. so please do read it.
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I decided to document this bite and took the first of a series of photographs, measured the fang spread with a vernier caliper, cleaned the site of the bite with alcohol and went to bed. The spread was .572 inches.

April 29th: Sunday morning, I woke up with a severe headache that might or might not have had anything to do with the bite. The hand was so swollen that the fingers were all but immobile. The swelling continued all the way up to the shoulder. I had limited motion in the elbow and almost none in the wrist. Even the shoulder felt a little stiff. The entire arm ached and the thumb was excruciating, and beginning to show some color. I drove over to my daughter's where some more photos were taken. There was a spirited discussion with her and my son-in-law as to going to the hospital, which I won. I am sensitive to horse serum and would have refused that treatment, anyway.

April 30th: The whole arm felt pressurized. I was getting a little worried about blood circulation to the hand, the lack of which brings on gangrene. We were having a Spring chilly spell, not uncomfortable, but the fingers of the bitten hand felt very cold. I got some more photos and offered the Copperhead an undeserved mouse. The camera worked and the snake ate the mouse with every evidence of smug self-satisfaction.

May 1st: The Communists and Socialists had a good time on this day. I did not. It was pretty much the same as yesterday except that the snake did not get another mouse. The camera continued to function well and we got a pic of both hands for a comparison . The swelling appeared down slightly.

May 2nd: The swelling was defiantly going down, and rapidly. I was getting a fair amount movement in the fingers and more range in the elbow and wrist. The pain was not as bad, but it had broadened it's horizons a bit. I was now beginning to notice a deep muscle ache, mainly in the forearm. It was the beginning of the swelling's aftermath. I was also getting a strange, little muscle spasm in the space between the thumb and forefinger.

May 3rd: The swelling was down dramatically, but I got a really nasty surprise when that odd, little spasm turned into a cramp that ground at least a millimeter of enamel off of my molars as I pried the thumb away from the forefinger, making the whole hand hurt a lot worse. This was to happen several times during the next, few days. The ache in the muscles of the arm was more pronounced, but the worst was in the back of the hand. The thumb was very sore. We took a final pic of both hands.

May 13th: As I sit here two-fingering the keyboard, the hand and forearm are still, perhaps not swollen, but very slightly puffy. It's all functioning just fine, but the whole thing feels a little stiff. The thumb remains larger than it should be and there is a spot at the site of the bite with no feeling at all. The joint at the base of the thumb is swollen. The muscles between the thumb and forefinger remain a little sore and there is still a little residual ache in the muscles in the forearm. At the moment, I don't think I'll lose any function in the hand, but the thumb has yet to regain a full range of motion. A tendon running between the joints is pronounced even when the thumb is relaxed.

And that's the story; the comedy of errors that would never have happened if I'd simply followed my own, first rule: "Don't mess with venomous snakes when you don't feel up for it." "It's just a Copperhead!" This is one of the stupidest statements we can make. It shows a vast disrespect for an animal that has put goodish number of digits and some entire limbs on the hospital floor, and failing that, always causes a world of hurt. There are no recorded deaths from Copper bites, but that does NOT mean that there have been none. It just means that possibly everybody was looking forward to partying at the wake and didn't bother to document it. A bite from a three-footer-plus would be something to take very seriously.

This is the serpent that is most often recommended to the aspiring, venomous keeper due to the "mildness" of it's venom; the idea being that if a mistake is made, it's cost won't be too dear. Care must be taken not to put this animal forth as something that you walk merrily away from as you would with a Rat Snake bite. The envenomation I received was really a minor one, but it had my entire, right arm out of commission for days and the residual effects are still with me, and will be for a while
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Answer 3

Copperhead Deaths

Answer 4

"A study of 400 copperhead bites found that only two incidences resulted in death, both due to simultaneous bites by 3 or more snakes. Bites occur on the extremities 95% of the time (56% on the hand) largely because about 40% of all bites occur from handling pets or attempting to capture snakes in the wild. "

Answer 5

I was bitten by a copperhead. Spent the Fourth of July 1998 in the hospital. I was never in any real danger. But they wanted to keep me over night anyway. They fixed me up with a couple drips of antibody, anticoagulant and a saline solution. The doctor told he had no recollection of anyone dying from a copperhead bite.

I've listed a couple sites that back up what my doc said.

Answer 6

Why don't you put a copperhead in bed with you so that way we can have a recorded death and put this issue to rest.

Answer 7

YES!! Victim: Charles Corley Location: Cambria County, Pennsylvania Time: Summer, 1947

Answer 8

If it comes up on a test Id take their word for it. They should know and now Im a lot less afraid of copperheads.. Im sure if someone was allergic they could be killed by an ant bite .. anyways good hunting

Answer 9

Yes, but it was the death of the snake after my cousin's dog got a hold of it. Probably not what your looking for.

Answer 10

Here's one from June of last year: http://www.theeagle.com/stories/062706/local_20060627005.php

Although it might have been a heart attack: http://www.theeagle.com/stories/070206/local_20060702014.php