Girl, 11, is treated in hospital after being bitten by an ADDER while on family walk as her foot swells up to three times its normal size
- Grace Roys was bitten while walking at the Cod Beck Reservoir in Osmotherley
- Mother Maggy Mace, 37, said little girl was vomiting and had a throbbing foot
- She was taken to A&E where doctors confirmed venom had reached her kidneys
- Woodland Trust: rare for snakes to bite people unless provoked or stepped on
A young girl has been left in a ‘shocking’ condition after being bitten by a venomous snake in Middlesborough.
Grace Roys, 11, stepped on what is believed to have been an adder, while at popular local beauty spot Cod Beck Reservoir, in Osmotherley.
The incident has stunned medical professionals, as Grace’s foot swelled to ‘three times the size it should be’ while the venom reached her kidneys.
Grace was out on a family walk with her father and sister on Friday afternoon after finishing her final day at school.
The schoolgirl ‘stepped on something on a footpath, and then saw it slither way’, explained her mother Maggy Mace, 37.
She added: ‘Her dad came back from packing up the car and saw Grace was crying hysterically, but he thought she was overacting.
Grace Roys, 11, (pictured) stepped on what is believed to have been an adder, while at popular local beauty spot Cod Beck Reservoir, in Osmotherley
Grace’s mother Maggy Mace, 37, said her daughter’s foot (pictured) is ‘three times the size it should be, and it’s burning rock hard’
‘She was adamant she’d stood on a snake, but he thought it was just a worm or a caterpillar.’
On the way home, Grace began to complain of a stomach ache while her foot was throbbing.
And when she was reunited with her mother a few hours later, ‘her face was swollen, her foot was black and blue and she was physically sick.’
Ms Mace added: ‘As soon as I saw her, I knew we had to get her to A&E. You could make out the teeth marks, and we were seen to straight away.’
The doctors were able to confirm the family’s suspicions that it was an adder bite, and after running tests, found the venom had got to Grace’s kidney.
Grace has remained in hospital for two days so far, over which time the ‘swelling has gone half way up her leg’, according to her mother.
‘Her foot is three times the size it should be, and it’s burning rock hard’ she added.
‘All of the medical professionals we spoke to said they’ve never seen anything like this.’
It’s hoped Grace will be able to leave hospital soon, armed with crutches and a cocktail of antibiotics and antihistamine.
‘She’s fed up of being stuck inside’ added her mother.
Grace’s left leg and foot are pictured noticeably much more swollen than those on her right side following the snake bite
‘But she is practising getting back on her feet, because at the moment she can’t physically walk.’
In light of the frightening incident, Ms Mace is calling for signs detailing the potential dangers.
‘People think there’s no dangerous snakes in England, but they should be made aware of the threat’ she said.
According to the Woodland Trust, they use this venom to subdue their meals, but it’s rare for the snakes to bite people.
It usually happens when humans are trying to handle them or accidentally step on them, and although the bites are ‘rarely fatal’, they can be ‘very painful.’