Potomac, MD - Snake Stirred Up by Storm Irene Bites Orthodox Jewish Mom

Potomac, MD - A woman in Montgomery County were bitten by poisonous snakes apparently disturbed by Irene.

“I had no idea there were poisonous snakes in my backyard by the pool. I mean who would’ve thought that?” Debra Panitch wonders.

The Potomac resident found copperhead snake in her backyard around 6:30 last night. She was cleaning for a party in honor of her son’s bar mitzvah when she spotted the tiny little thing and picked it up to show her kids.

When she put it back down, it sunk one of its fangs into her thumb. As she later learned, baby snakes can’t control their venom, so it gave her everything that it had.

The mother’s hand began to swell to the point that it felt like the skin might burst. It’s good she sought medical help.

“If you don’t get something like this treated and its expanding, you can have very serious tissue damage you can lose your hand, or you can lose your life,” Dr. Erik Shobitz said.

Panitch worried she might steal the spotlight from her son on one of the most important days of his life. “This wonderful big celebration, and I didn’t want to be the center of attention, I wanted him to be the center of attention,” she says.