Had she stepped on this snake, it would surely have bitten her. And although it was only about 24 inches long, she had a 50/50 chance that its bite would have landed her in the hospital, with a very sore ankle and leg, facing a lengthy recuperation and enormous medical bills. And, of course, she had less than a 0.02% chance that the bite would have been fatal (no fatal copperhead bites have been recorded in the U.S. since the early 1980′s). [...]