Illinois Boy's Brush with Death: The Poisonous Weed That Almost Took His Life

An Illinois boy suffered anaphylactic shock and nearly died when he touched a poisonous weed while doing yard work with his family, reports said.

Rayden Vollrath, 7, was helping his stepmom and father clear his family’s Pike County property when he pulled out pokeweeds, a highly toxic plant known for its purple berries.

“Long story short, he came in contact with pokeweed and the milk from the stalk got on his nails, I’m guessing or some sort,” his mother, Danielle Carnicelli, told WGEM.