Copperhead bites athlete ahead of rugby tournament

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A woman said she was bitten by a copperhead outside her mother's Charlotte home.

"It was the worst pain I've ever experienced," Katryna Ritter said.

PHOTOS: Snakes spotted across the Carolinas

Ritter left the house barefoot to take her dogs to her car on Mother’s Day when it was dark outside.

"As soon as I got them in, I took a step back and something stung me, it felt like a bee," Ritter said.

Five minutes passed.

“It was like the most excruciating pain I've ever had in my entire life -- stinging, burning, aching, throbbing, like everything all at once," she said.

She didn't see the snake but had two bite marks and doctors determined all of her symptoms pointed to copperhead venom.

Ritter said she couldn't walk for about three days and all she thought about was the big weekend she had ahead of her.

"As I'm lying on the couch, I'm just like, ‘Am I going to be able to play?’" she said.

She plays for the Charlotte Women's Rugby Club and they had their eastern conference championship.

A lot of hydration and rest allowed her to play and help them win.

She still felt the pain Tuesday.

She warns that people should stay vigilant when temperatures warm up and snakes are more active outside.

“Walking to my mailbox at night, I'm using a flashlight,” Ritter said. “I didn't have any shoes on, so that was my fault. You know it's summertime everybody wants to wear flip-flops. I’m not wearing flip-flops in the grass anymore,” she said.

Experts said to keep an eye on rock, wood and brush piles for copperheads.

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