Woman bitten by venomous snake while doing laundry at home

MOUNT PENN, Pa. – Officials say a Pennsylvania woman was bitten on the arm by a venomous snake when she went to her basement to do laundry.

The Reading Eagle reports that the Mount Penn woman called 911 Tuesday morning to report that she’d been bitten by a rattlesnake. Authorities say it was actually a 2-foot-long (0.61-meter) copperhead. They found it on a shelf near the washing machine.

Police called the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, which bagged the snake and moved it to a safer location.

The woman was taken to a hospital. Her condition isn’t known. The Fish and Boat Commission says the copperhead’s bite is seldom life-threatening as long as the victim gets prompt medical attention.

The copperhead is the most common venomous snake in Pennsylvania.