–Opp resident Kendra Meeks says she will forever be a more cautious person when enjoying the great outdoors after being bitten on the foot by a copperhead Friday night.

“It was Friday out at Open Pond at about 8:30 p.m.,” Meeks said Monday, while recovering from her ordeal at home. “We had went up there to visit some friends. When we came out of the camper, I stepped on him.”

But, at first, Meeks said she wasn’t aware anything was wrong.

“I didn’t know what it was and we went back in the camper and my foot just started swelling,” she said.

Concerned, Meeks’ friends ventured back out into the dark, where they discovered they highly venomous snake.

“They went back out with a flashlight and found him laying right where I had stepped,” she said.

Meeks said her friends’ discovery was a realization of how serious the situation was.

“My foot started tingling and burning,” she said. “My friends drove me to the hospital in Andalusia.”

Meeks said doctors at Andalusia Regional Hospital told her the snake hadn’t released enough venom into her blood stream for her to require anti-venom, but even the small amount she did receive required days of treatment.

“They gave me antibiotics and steroids,” Meeks said. “They kept me from Friday until (Monday). (My foot) is still black and blue.”

Kendra said her advice for others enjoying the lakes, rivers, forests and other outdoor areas is simple.

“Watch where you walk,” she said. “(Snakes) are out bad.”