Man bitten by rattlesnake at Washington state Walmart

A large diamondback rattlesnake is pictured in this undated handout photo. A man was bitten by rattlesnake at Washington state Walmart.  Photograph by: Don Childre/Handout, Reuters

When Mica Craig reached down to brush what he thought was a stick off some mulch in the garden section of a Washington state Walmart, it turned around and sank its fangs into his hand.


Craig, a married father of two, said the mulch was for his marijuana plants, which he is licensed to grow for medical reasons. It was unclear whether the snake came from an adjacent field or arrived at the store along with garden supplies.

Craig said doctors who initially thought the snake had inflicted only a "dry bite" - or one that did not inject venom - treated him with six bags of anti-venom after his right hand swelled to the size of a melon.

Travis Taggart, director of the Center for North American Herpetology, said about half of documented rattlesnake bites, which are usually defensive when directed at humans, are "dry" but still cause severe pain.





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Man bitten by rattlesnake at Washington state Walmart