19 replies to this topic

[Hum]

LEWISTON — A man says he reached down to pick up a stick lying in the gardening aisle of a Wal-Mart in eastern Washington state, only to discover that it was a rattlesnake that then bit his hand.

Mica Craig says he was shopping in the outdoor garden department of a Clarkston store when he was bitten Saturday. The 47-year-old man says it latched onto his hand and that he screamed, shook loose the snake and stomped it to death.

The Lewiston Tribune in Idaho reports a bystander drove Craig to an emergency room in nearby Lewiston. Craig says he was treated with six bags of anti-venom and was told that his hand could be permanently disfigured.

He says doctors expect him to remain hospitalized until Tuesday.

from: Lewiston Tribune, http://www.lmtribune.com

[Marshall]

Can you say "lawsuit?"

[shakey]

Might have helped if he didn't stomp the snake to death, which I'm sure just elevated his blood pressure even more so than the snake bite itself. Still, **** what happens when one of those things bites you... wouldn't wish that upon any one.

[arachnoid]

Well it was the outdoor department
Im pretty sure of Wal-Marts answer to a suit.............Bite Me!

[The Laughing Man]

shakey, on 14 May 2012 - 19:31, said:

Might have helped if he didn't stomp the snake to death, which I'm sure just elevated his blood pressure even more so than the snake bite itself. Still, **** what happens when one of those things bites you... wouldn't wish that upon any one.

I'd actually be pretty angry at myself at that point for mistaking a snake for a stick...

[ILikeTobacco]

Didn't realize rattlesnakes lived that far north. We have them all over the place here in Oklahoma. Nobody is really scared of them here. I play with them when I am out camping.

[shakey]

The Laughing Man, on 14 May 2012 - 19:46, said:

I'd actually be pretty angry at myself at that point for mistaking a snake for a stick...

Ya, that too. Don't know how you mistake a snake as a stick.. at least when it is on concrete. At my storage facility, I have to beware of snakes in empty units. I've almsot been bitten by opening a unit up from baby rattlesnakes that hide under the doors for shelter. I have to kill them as there is a daycare next door. I'd rather get bit by a full grown rattler than a baby though.
But, for a side note. Rattlesnakes have basically stopped rattling their tales. Over many years, hogs have been intruding on rattlesnake land. When rattlesnakes would rattle, hogs instead of running, would just mash the ground all around them, killing the snakes. So now, the snakes don't rattle. They just bite... Stupid evolution

[Hum]

Wal-Mart really does have everything ...

[DocM]

ILikeTobacco, on 14 May 2012 - 19:53, said:

Didn't realize rattlesnakes lived that far north.
>

We have rattlesnakes in Michigan, quite a few in fact, and a few are in Ontario so yes they are in the northern states. Ours is the Eastern Massasauga, which run about a meter long and seldom bite but most certainly will if they feel threatened, are cornered or if you step on them. Go into a 1 acre field in our area and there will be a couple dozen of them. In the summer it's common to see them sunning themselves on the walking paths (see attached) - or you might find one on your driveway if there's a park nearby.

Attached Images

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[Rudy]

DocM, on 15 May 2012 - 03:27, said:

We have rattlesnakes in Michigan, quite a few in fact, and a few are in Ontario so yes they are in the northern states. Ours is the Eastern Massasauga, which run about a meter long and seldom bite but most certainly will if they fee threatened, are cornered or if you step on them. Go into a 1 acre field in our area and there will be a couple dozen of them. In the summer it's common to see them sunning themselves on the walking paths (see attached) - or you might find one on your driveway if there's a park nearby.

Ah! No way I had no ideas....

[DocM]

Rudy, on 15 May 2012 - 03:36, said:

Ah! No way I had no ideas....

Your population is nowhere near as large as Michigan's, which is the largest in the US Midwest, and Ontario has the Massasauga listed as a threatened species. I've attached a map showing where they're usually found in Ontario. Here in Michigan they're anything but threatened - we have a s***load of them.

Attached Images

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[srbeen]

Just what kind of trees do they sell in the wal-marts that they
1) look like rattlesnakes
2) lose seemingly large branches before sale
3) have rattly branches

I feel bad for the guy, least he's alive.
from the wiki:
The venom travels through the bloodstream, destroying tissue and causing swelling, internal bleeding, and intense pain.
Rattlesnake bites are the leading cause of snakebite injuries in North America, and cause approximately 82% of fatalities. However, rattlesnakes rarely bite unless provoked or threatened; and if treated promptly, the bites are rarely fatal.

[Growled]

I have one rule about snakes....the only good one is a dead one. I would have stomped it to death too.

[DocM]

And unless you killed it on the first hit, or were wearing high boots, you'd likely have been bitten. The A#1 way to get a rattler to strike is to step on them, and even our 1 meter variety can hit to knee level.

[Hum]

Growled, on 16 May 2012 - 02:42, said:

I have one rule about snakes....the only good one is a dead one.

I'll drink to that.