A 4-year-old South Carolina boy avoided a painful confrontation with a copperhead snake he found in a sandbox at his home, WIS reported.

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Van Watson, of Camden, said his son, Benjamin, was playing in the sandbox when he found the reptile.

"(He) bounced right back up, ran to the house and said, 'Daddy, Daddy, there's a snake in my sandbox. It hissed at me and went 'hiss, hiss,' and that got my attention," Watson told WIS. "What I saw when I got here was a big, giant, huge snake; in reality, it was only 12 to 14 inches long. It could've gone very bad."

According to Live Science, copperheads are common but are also the most like reptiles to bite. Their venom is mild and rarely fatal for humans, according to the website.

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Still, a snake bite delivered to a 4-year-old would be painful. Tony Watford, of Watford's Nuisance Wildlife Trapping, says venomous snakes like copperheads deserve respect.

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"Don't try to catch it, don't try to pick it up or anything like that," Watford told WIS. "Leave it to the experts."

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Yemaya Lyles (right) wipes away tears during a news conference in front of the Rockdale County Public Schools administration building on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. Lyles' son, Antonio, was assaulted by a paraprofessional, who has since been fired and charged with battery. Lyles says her case against the school district has dragged on since then. (Miguel Martinez/AJC 2023)

Credit: Miguel Martinez