03:18 PM CDT on Wednesday, May 10, 2006

By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA-TV

WFAA-TV

Brig Serman, left, checks for snake activity around his home.

ARLINGTON — Beware of snakes in the grass.

Brig Serman of Arlington is recovering from a rare snake bite that sent him to the hospital with extreme pain and swelling.

His was one of at least three copperhead encounters within a few days—including one inside Channel 8's Fort Worth newsroom.

Copperheads blend in perfectly with North Texas ground cover, as Serman learned when he attempted to turn on an outdoor water spigot and was bit on the foot.

The snake was only a foot long, but when it's your foot, that doesn't matter.

"It felt like two syringes full of acid going into my foot," Serman said. "Very painful, intense burning."

Swelling and redness spread from Serman's foot to his knee. "They had me in ICU for two days while they gave me a course of anti-venom," he said.

The bite marks were still apparent after his release from the hospital "It's still a little swollen rght there," he said.

The day after Serman was bitten, his young son was scheduled to visit River Legacy park with a Scout group, but decided against it.

Maybe it's a good thing. His group came across another copperhead.

Park naturalist Melissa Laxson said she has seen only two copperheads in two years. "Normally, they'll feel you coming and move away," she said.

But one of the colorful reptiles surprised us in Channel 8's Fort Worth newsroom just last month.

Since his snake encounter, Brig Serman cut back his landscaping and spread sulphur around the house to deter snakes and rodents.

Parents in his North Arlington neighborhood are keeping a closer watch on kids now, too.

Venomous snakebites are extremely rare. Serman was only the third victim treated this year at Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth.

But copperheads are out there—and they don't have rattles to warn you to watch your step.

In most years, copperheads bite more people than any other U.S. snake species. They have the mildest venom, however, so copperhead bites typically aren't fatal.

There is no way to tell a venomous snake from a harmless one, so experts suggest finding out which venomous snakes are found in your area—and remember what they look like.

E-mail jdouglas@wfaa.com