Boy Scout Recovering After Being Bitten By Poisonous Snake

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Md. (WJZ) -- An Anne Arundel County Boy Scout is recovering after being bitten by a venomous snake.

Tracey Leong has more.

The Boy Scout was bitten a week ago by a copperhead snake. To top it off, it happened on his 14th birthday, while he was away at camp in Harford County.

It was just after dusk when Jack Hummer decided to use the latrine at Camp Saffran.

"I thought I stepped on a stick and it launched and I looked down and I saw something slithering down and I realized it was a snake," he said.

Not just any snake---a copperhead. Within minutes, he started to feel the effect of the venom seeping through his ankle. He was quickly rushed by ambulance to a nearby hospital.

"The first night was very frightening just because we didn't know," said his mother, Julie Hummer.

Jack stayed at the hospital for two days. Since he was bitten by only one fang, it wasn't as serious. It will take a couple of weeks for the swelling to go down and he needs to keep his leg elevated for now.

While things have calmed down, things were very chaotic for the Hummer family the night it happened.

"Not a call you ever think you are going to get," Julie Hummer said.

All of her kids love the outdoors and this experience hasn't changed the family's outlook.

"As one friend said, `I would rather them be out in nature having a risk of a snake bite than sitting in front of video games all summer,'" she said.

He hasn't been able to partake in any of his favorite outdoor activities like swimming and biking, but he has used the extra time to reflect. He says his only regret is that he used the latrine.

"I still wish I had gone in the woods," he said.

He was working on several merit badges at Camp Saffran, including emergency preparedness. While he didn't earn a badge, she says he is walking away with a great summer tale and some newfound fame.

The snake that bit him was caught and destroyed.

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