A man airlifted from the Blue Ridge Parkway this week falsely reported being bitten by a snake, authorities determined today. “Based on information developed in our investigation, on the scene and speaking to folks, things are not pointing toward snake envenomization,“ said Ridge District Ranger Kurt Speers. Rescuers found a 48-year-old man lying semiconscious in the Dripping Rock area near mile marker 9 on the parkway Tuesday afternoon. A passer-by told authorities the man had been bitten five times by a timber rattler, information later passed on to another man who photographed the victim being airlifted to the University of Virginia.

Shannon Dean’s husband said he had never heard her scream as loudly as she did the Friday night before Mother’s Day. “It was late. I went out to feed the dog. I opened the kennel. When I was bringing the food back out, it hit,“ said Dean, who lives in King William County. “I looked at my hand and saw these huge fang marks.“ She was bitten by what was later determined to be a copperhead snake.

Copperheads came out of hibernation just a few weeks ago, and they are on the move, looking for food and mates. Copperheads are far less dangerous than Virginia’s two other venomous serpents, the rattlesnake and the eastern cottonmouth. That’s because copperheads are typically smaller and create a weaker venom, experts say. Named for its rusty color, the copperhead can be found across Virginia. It is the only venomous snake in the immediate Richmond area.