Copperhead snake in tree bites Lowe’s customer

A copperhead snake inside a tree at a Lowe’s Home Improvement store in Denver, N.C., bit a customer on Monday, authorities said.

The East Lincoln fire department posted about the snake bite on its Facebook page, complete with a picture of the snake inside a clear plastic bag.

“This could happen at any store that sells trees,” the post read. “So be mindful when shopping for gardening supplies.”

Firefighters originally said an employee was bitten, but later made a correction, saying that a customer was bitten. The customer, who was not identified, was taken to a hospital.

According to the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service, North Carolina has more venomous snake bites than any other state, mostly because people try to kill snakes or pick them up. And copperheads are responsible for the most bites in recent years, according to the extension.

The story and headline have been changed to show that the fire department now says it was a customer, not an employee, who was bitten.

This story was originally published May 16, 2016 at 9:19 PM with the headline "Copperhead snake in tree bites Lowe’s customer."