E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSWhen reaching down to brush what he thought was a stick off some mulch in the garden section of a Washington state Wal-mart, Mica Craig, 47, was bitten by a foot-long rattlesnake. KHQ-TV's Dylan Wohlenhaus reports.
SALMON, Idaho -- When Mica Craig reached down to brush what he thought was a stick off some mulch in the garden section of a Washington state Wal-Mart, it turned around and sank its fangs into his hand.
The Friday encounter with a rattlesnake sent Craig, 47, to the hospital, where he said he remained in excruciating pain and may lose feeling in two fingers. Wal-Mart Stores Inc has apologized.
"I reached down to grab the stick to move it out of the way, and the snake stretched out, turned around and got its fangs in my right hand," he said. "I slung it off and I did a tap dance on it until it was dead."
Craig was rushed to the hospital by fellow customer Maria Geffre, who told Reuters she saw him crumple to the ground after crying out that he had been bitten by a snake.
"He had punctures on his hand and there was the dead rattler he'd stomped on," Geffre said, describing the snake as at least a foot long with four buttons, or rattles.
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.
"It's the most scared I've ever been in my life," Craig told KIRO FM from his hospital bed in Lewiston, Idaho. "I was screaming bloody murder through the parking lot."
'Isolated incident'
Craig said emergency room doctors sent him home because there was little swelling initially - he had iced the wound - and they thought the snake had inflicted only a "dry bite," or one that did not inject venom.
But his hand quickly swelled up to "the size of a grapefruit," Craig told KIRO, and he returned to the hospital. Doctors treated him with six bags of anti-venom, Craig said.
"As of right now, my little finger doesn't move at all and my ring finger barely moves," he said according to KIRO. "I'm just hoping that my hand works."
A Wal-Mart spokeswoman offered an apology to Craig and said the retailer was looking into how the incident could have happened at the store in Clarkston, in eastern Washington.
"At this point, it appears to be an isolated incident. We are working with a pest management team, which is conducting a sweep of the property to ensure there is no additional rattlesnake activity," Wal-Mart spokeswoman Kayla Whaling said.
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.
Msnbc.com staff and Reuters contributed to this report.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:
Leave a Comment:
There you go again. Had Mary Jane been legalized this guy wouldn't be needing to purchase mulch for his ' home grown' and he'd be just fine. Poor snake though, had to die for marijuana and had no use for it.
What was a rattler doing in lawn and gardens anyway??? I would have thought that you could only find rattlers in the baby toy section.
He was growing it legaly, read all of the article. He was licensed to grow it for medical use. Unfortunate but you cannot stop all wildlife (snakes, scorpians, etc ) from being able to get into areas they are not wanted.
Since when do they call a lawyer a Rattlesnake? I thought the correct term was "Vulture"!
When I said that those Walmart people were snakes in the grass, it turns out that I meant that literally
Almost correct bluthunder except it is the humans who had encroached into areas were should not have...
This unforunate incident is an Act of God. Not Preventable. WalMart may assume some liability. If the man does not get to greedy he may collect some money. I don't think this is any different than being outside and getting stung by a bee or bitten by a spider or ant.
Since when has Walmart started selling - rattlesnake - now? There is nothing capitalists can't do.
There is an expectation of safety when visiting a retail establishment. The gentleman is certainly entitled to medical costs, possibly some degree of disability compensation if the wound results in any physical or neurological impairment, and a resonable amount of pain and suffering compensation, to include malpractice by the hospital emergency room who sent him away without treating him appropriately (sorry, you don't get a by for assuming that he received a "dry" bite). Snake bites especially from small sankes should be treated with great care. Judging from the description of only a foot long and four buttons, it was likely a pygmy or timber rattlesnake, both of which are highly agressive/venomous and unlikely to result in a dry bite.
To quote this article, Wal-Mart says:
This IS NOT an isolated incident in the Wall-Mart stores. I know for a fact that Wal-Mart in FL, a little over 2 years ago, had 2 different rattlesnake bites both of which were in 2 different Wal-Mart stores within a months time. Both bites to men happened in the garden center. One was a pigmy rattler.
You would think this would be an easy legal settlement. But good luck to him finding a lawyer to fight Walmart. For decades they have put the major law firms in most town and cities on retainers so that customers cannot retain them to use against Walmart. I had no idea of this until my girlfriend was struck in a parking lot by one of their buggy machines loaded with about 50 carts. 2 years later we finally gave up. No settlement, no nothing. Other lawyers were simply intimidated by their much larger foes. I am a very persistent person but it was just not worth the effort. I hope he gets his medical costs reimbursed but that is probably all he will get in the end.
"Clean up in the garden department."
Even better yet, stay out of the garden department. I've found that their plants don't seem to live as long as plants bought from other places.
Four foot rattler can f-k you up pretty good... I hope this man fully recovers.
rattlesnake? it's also nerve-rattling.
deweydan:
An act of god? Really? You gotta switch gods. That's one mean dude you got there. The Invisible Pink Unicorn does not allow rattlesnakes to bite shoppers at Wal-Mart. In fact, the Invisible Pink Unicorn is the driving force behind Wal-Mart's price cutting.
rattle snakes: The True Dangers of Marijuana
A snake released by union reps. undoubtedly! Probably a union member!
JakeJacobs, he was growing it legal but legal or illegal wouldn't he still need mulch? Were you high when you did your post or just stupid in general?
Walmart hires rattlesnake as its greeters? I thought it's just George W. Bush - who revealed also to be working as Walmart greeter once. George Bush recession still bites peope in their finances and when people are forced to shop at Walmart, Bush the Rattlesnake bites these Walmart shoppers.
Actually, if MJ were legal, this guy would probably still rely on his own homegrown. Really, this is not about legality, but about the poor rattlesnake who was also trying to get some discount mulch at Walmart.
Dude, don't Bogart the savings.
knowing Walmart, they probably were using the snake for shoplifting protection.
hope the guy gets millions.
this man will try and take all he can from wal-mart! Knowing him he probably took the snake in with him so that he could get money!
Wal-mart may be on the hook for some degree of liability, however unfair, because the incident took place on their property, but the man should take the bulk of the responsibility. He looked at the snake and tried to brush it away. The fault is his for not recognizing a widely-known animal.
AG is right. People's dislike of Walmart aside how are they responsible? They didn't put the snake there. (no surprise we see this article considering the other reasons Walmart is in the news, the real news not this side show crap; typical media pile on with anything related regardless of relevance) This is outside in the garden department. Chances are this was in a parking lot area blocked off in spring and summer that you often see at Walmart and was completely open to nature. In a sense (not 100% but similar) this is like parking your car in Walmart's lot, go inside, and it storms while you are inside, there is hail, and your car is damaged and you try to blame Walmart.
The man will likely get some money to cover his med bills ect, this is why Walmart carries insurance (I'll say ok to that since health care is sky high and that part is a drop in the bucket to Walmart), but beyond that they don't owe him a dime. Sometimes $hit happens, and it's no ones fault. Him getting millions (not called for at all) would just set more precedence for people to continue to blame others who aren't at fault instead of accepting personal responsibility. I agree too that how did he not know it was a snake?
It is time to stop this stupid sue happy mentality of ours and own up to our mistakes. Yes when a company blatantly does something that harms others they should pay. Otherwise if you are just to dumb for some common sense and get hurt others shouldn't be held liable. No I'm not saying this guy was dumb but it certainly wasn't the smartest move either. I do hope he man's up, settles just to cover his bills, gets better, and goes on a little wiser now.
Well, you can tell it's a liberal news site. Look at all the sue happy, stick it to WalMart idiots here on this comment page. First, lawn and garden outdoors would be impossible to protect from invading snakes, bugs, etc. I do realize all you city dwelling idiots might not realize that so I had to point that out. Secondly, maybe if the poor shopper had been paying more attention he would have SEEN that it was a snake and not a stick. They do look different. And yes, I know this from years of experience. I grew up on bayous in the south where they have Large snakes and now in the rocky hills of Osage County which are filled with numerous types of snakes. Snakes can get themselves just about anywhere. If a mouse can get there, so can a snake. So think about that getting into your nice home. As for WalMart owing this man anything, get real. He has some personal responsibility here. He touched it voluntarily. I do think Wal Mart will probably pony up some money for medical expenses and such but that is about all they should be expected to do. This guy could have gotten bit growing his weed for heavensake. Maybe he had been testing his own product and wasn't thinking to clearly and couldn't tell a snake from a stick. Just a thot. And for all you anti-capitalist idiots, why don't you get a job and work for your money then you will see how hard it is to earn and quit expecting the rest of us to share what we earned so you don't have to work. And if you want to hurt companies like WalMart you are truly idiots, because when you cost them large payouts, it gets passed on down to the customer in price increase so the average person like me is hurt. Greed isn't exclusively for the wealthy, it's worse in jealous people that want what others have without earning it.
And at OldSarge - not trying to be ugly, but rattlesnakes are very seldom aggressive, ie the rattles to scare people off. They would prefer you to just leave them alone. The mean old rattlesnake thing is a product of Hollywood. Of course a snake will bite if cornered, handled, etc. but many times they will try to escape or warn you to back off. And I've encoutered everything from 8-10 ft rattlers down South to little velvet tails here, and they almost always try to escape and not bite. The last one I had to kill never even put up a fight but just kept trying to escape me and never tried to bite my daughter or her Lab puppy that was playing right on top of it. That's how I found it. Scary but simply a part of nature.
In summation, Wal Mart doesn't "owe" him anything but might make a gesture of good will and pay medical but next time, this guy shouldn't pick up the snake.
WalMart should hire some mongooses
You know him?
I think you'd all be singing a different story if it was a little girl shopping for flowers for Mothers Day who'd been bitten and killed in a Walmart garden section. Walmart is responsible regardless of who the person bitten is.
There is no such thing as an 'act of God'....stuff happens
Why would he even mention what he was buying the mulch for. Sounds like yokel who likes to brag about his legal pot.
Still, wallyworld is responsible for customer safety. And that ER dropped the ball, too.
Moparfan - sorry but no. Yeah that might sound cold but that is how it is. I would fill even worse for the little girl because she really may not have known it was dangerous but it still doesn't change the fact that Walmart is not responsible. Again did they put the snake there? No different, some of that blame would then have to go to the parents for sure in that case. Don't play what if's, there is a point that it is reasonable to play what if but once you go beyond that point it serves no purpose and is just futile effort. Either-way its nature and sometimes $hit happens. The only way that Walmart could truly be liable is if they knew the snake was there and did nothing to remove it, that I could see holding some blame on them but still its nature and not everything needs to result in your fault, let me sue you for big money. In the end we all pay for it when someone sues a big company. Med bills covered end of story.
I agree about the ER, they are the ones that really dropped the ball. If anything they have the most responsiblity since he got to the hospital in time. Another piece of a bigger picture/problem. I think that is really more of the focus. Not that Walmart had a snake in their OUTDOOR garden center.
Oklahoma Mom - it takes a Real COnservative to side with the snake. Good work!
Ah yes, just random atoms bouncing around the universe, I guess? Good luck with that on Judgement Day.
John - "Ah yes, just random atoms bouncing around the universe, I guess?"
it's about as likely as some guy in the sky picking and choosing who goes to heaven.
"Good luck with that on Judgement Day"
Thanks...and to YOU too, you'll need it just as much as the rest of us...though, I dont think your arrogance believes that.
There you go again. Had Mary Jane not been grown by this guy for his own selfish purposes he wouldn't be needing to purchase mulch for his ' home grown' and he'd be just fine. Poor snake though, had to die for marijuana and had no use for it.
And don't give me the 'medical' crap excuse. We have it legal here in Colorado for 'medical' purposes, and a full majority of 'medical' users are the rich healthy young skiers in rich and prosperous Vail. Call it what it is, 'recreational'.
http://j70141.newsvine.com/_news/2011/07/12/7070552-argument-against-the-purchase-of-marijuana
Geeze, really!? If he hadn't needed mulch for his MJ then someone else probably would have gotten bitten. This was not an "Act of MJ" fer Pete's sake.
Thank goodness I have no need to go around mulch or plants in the garden center. I need to get someone to do some heavy spraying of weeds and overgrowth around my place. The trumpet vine is taking over and I am unable to get out and spray. I'll let someone else get around mulch and plants.
On the one hand It's good to find out that not everything in a Wal-mart store came from China, and yet on the other hand ....
:-)
Robert in Oregon, now THAT'S funny!
Oklahoma
Just typical of a right wing corporatist to absolve Wal-Mart of any responsibility when they are obviously culpable. There was a rattlesnake in their peat moss (or whatever it was). I think we can expect to be safe when we enter the store. Just saying that sh*t happens is not enough here.
But then we have to protect the coprorations from those powerful pot growers and their agenda of getting what they entitled to from Wall-Mart's negligence.
He was too high to differentiate between stick and snake. the good thing is that, he now has another excuse to do more pot. the chinese should sue him for coming high to their store puting him self in danger.
The Flying Spaghetti Monster, in all his noodleness, would never allow this either! Its snake like appendages are always benign and it expects those who emulate it to be benign as well!
Seems like it has been several years since anyone has tried to pull that scam on walmart.
That joker probably did not know it has already been tried.
They don't roll over as easily as mcdonalds.
Hmmm...
"Baby rattlesnakes" or "teenager rattlesnakes" do not know how to measure their venom. They inject “the full load,” so to speak. That is why the tiny rattlesnakes are the most dangerous.
Despite the initial inappropriate actions of the medical folks, this guy is very luck to be alive. The medical staff made an error in judgement. They failed to immediately start the anti-venom treatment, in the belief that is was a DRY STRIKE... I am nearing 70 years, and I have never heard of a rattlesnake doing a dry strike.
This is not the fault of WalMart. It is SPRING TIME, the time of year when baby rattlesnakes are all over the place - in areas where rattlesnakes normally live.
I hope he has a full and complete recovery, without losing fingers or parts of his hand to dead flesh.
WBerries is right on. A 'dry strike'? WTF? It was a snake bite! What's with refusing to treat the man? Have hospitals joined the overweening concern for profit?
WE live in Florida and , rattle snakes are very common especially in the interior of the state on cattle ranches and farms and citrus groves Also water moccasins and coral snakes.
WhistleBerries post 1.45
Your absolutely right my friend, It's that time of year again. I would advise anyone living in snake country to educate themselves to the facts about these creatures, it could save your life. The little ones are bad news.
Once found a black widow in a box scrounged from the groc store box dumpster when getting ready to move. Kept her as a pet for some time. An acquaintance who worked for the groc distributor said they were always getting black widows and tarantulas in the warehouses that hitchhike on bananas and such. Talked to an entymologist who said same thing happens with lumber shipments.
Unless this is a Walmart different from all the others, Lawn and Garden is mostly outside, and what isn't completely outside has lots of outside access. Should you be held responsible for anyone getting snake-bit on your property? If you think you can be sued for that, then say it's fine for Walmart to be sued for the same thing. Snakes are really not that noticeable... which is why they are so dangerous.
Luckily, black widows aren't as big a deal as most of us tend to think. I was terrified of them until I moved to California. This place is crawling with 'em, so to speak. Yeah, they're venomous, but as it turns out, they are not particularly aggressive. I was once working in my yard, down in the dirt, felt something on my arm, looked down, and there was a big ol' black widow. I shook my arm, and off she flew. Of course, now we have a 3rd species of venomous spiders, the brown widow, which has hitch-hiked here as you described, and are apparently getting well established in parts of the southwest. Think they're supposed to be worse than the black widow. Yay.
Anyhoo, I guess I'd take a black widow over a rattler. :)
Yes it is, and they may not be aggressive but they are still creepy as hell just like all spiders (shudder). I'll take the snakes any day.
Walmart needs to do more than just apologize. They need to immediately offer to pay this guy's medical bills.
...and pain and suffering. I'm not a fan of lawsuits, but this guy needs at least $10 million considering he could lose feeling in some or all of his fingers. This is something that he should sue for.
This is not something he shold recieve ANY money for, If they want to pay medical bills that would be nice but, You cannot prevent all wildlife from getting into areas they are not wanted, scorpians, snakes,spiders and other types on creatures manage to get into area's they are not wanted in all the time and the "outdoor area" is a fenced off area that is outdoors, not enclosed in the building which is goinw to allow bugs and creatures to enter it. And it need to be in order for the plants to receive sunlight and fresh air.
OMG, this was an accident. How pathetic that the first words out of any of your mouths is he deserves money. He deserves 10 million dollars. This is totally ridiculous. He doesn't deserve a frigging dime. It would be a good gesture that Walmart pays the medical bills, but should not be obligated. There are poisonous snakes all over the US. And guess what? None are trained not to go where they are not wanted. What a bunch of freeloading people we have.
bluthunder, thank you. A common sense statement to uncommon sense people. Let's sue!!! Totally lazy, pathetic, and wrong.
This was an absolute accident. A snake is wildlife, and it can get in anywhere.
It would be a nice gesture if Walmart would pay any medical bills, but I hope they will not be found culpable when the guy sues (even if he doesn't intend to at this point, I am sure some schyster lawyer will appeal to his greed and file suit).
I am not a fan of Walmart on any level but going straight for the "sue them for millions" is why this society is becoming a bunch of "ones" and "I's" instead of "US" and "WE's". That is sad. Walmart should pay the man's hospital bills (antivenom is expensive), sure, and I think that they Doctor that sent the man away telling him to "ICE" his hand because it was "probably a dry bite" should have to pay compensation for his loss of finger feeling (pinky and other finger). Instead of treating with antivenom just in case, they sent him home. Maybe, just maybe he may have been able to save the feeling in his fingers.
Once grip is lost/diminshed, life is not the same. I am a victim of numbness myself and life has drastically changed because of limitations for everyday events.
Never, ever open with a lawsuit. Walmart needs to pay this guy for his medical bills, but an out-of-court settlement is ALWAYS more preferable.
The law is more demanding than people seem to understand where responsibility lies for the incident.
Walmart IS legally responsible for what happens on their premises and this guy has grounds, depending on state law, for a pretty significant lawsuit.
Your opinion on how "it should be" are all fine and well, but "How it IS" is much more important when determining who is responsible and who owes what.
My guess is that this guy has very solid ground for a significant lawsuit, unless there is some extenuating difference between how that state differs from other states.
My guess is that Walmart will offer to settle out of court pre-emptively with the understanding that the injured party doesn't disclose any additional information or discuss the incident with the news media.
But, Chris - WalMart did apologize, and they scolded the garden center manager for not having the snake properly shrink-wrapped and pricemarked. The guy who got bitten should have been made to pay for the snake. /s
Why? Mother Nature got the man - not Wal-Mart! SUE SUE SUE - fckin @!$%#s. Then sit there and gripe why insurance and prices are so high.
rattlesnake? Did you take a good look, it's maybe just Romney making a campaign stop there.
I bet you you were up all night to think of that one. If they guy was there for Pot growing material I am sure he was an Obama supporter.
The snake is not a paid Wal-Mart employee. Snakes and other wildlife, unfortunately, cannot read. As much as Wal-Mart is an evil genius, they are not liable for Mother Nature. The guy wasn't paying attention. Big branches come from big trees. He obviously didn't use common sense when he grabbed the "branch." The snake was protecting itself from an inappropriate touch.
You telling me the snake was a union teacher?
Walmart is obligated to pay his medical bills, period. It's the same as if you had a friend over to your house and was bit by a snake that snuck in. You (being the property owner/responsible party) are responsible for the medical bills. There's nothing more that the host of the establishment is required to do, other than investigate how and why. In this case, if it's a snake native to the area, not much they can do in ways of proving where it came from. I killed a 6 ft cottonmouth in the parking lot of a 1000+ car lot with no trees or water sources nearby. How'd it get there? Who knows, crawled probably.
As far as the bite goes, the ER doc probably should've given him at least one dose of antivenom. I've been bit by a timber and a velvettail (both rattlers) by a dry and wet bite, respectively. If the guy was dry bit on the hand that close to his pinky and ring finger, even the smallest amount of venom would have caused a reaction. Dry bites aren't ever completely dry. There's always a small amount of residual venom left on and in the fangs. I was fortunate to be bit near my elbow and a steroid shot about 4-5 hours later reduced the swelling and cleared it up within 12 hours. The wet bite was on my calf, and just 12 hours of observation and steroids got rid of that one. Although nausea, dizziness and other minor symptoms lasted about another day - 2 days.
Point is, the doc should be sued, not walmart, for malpractice. Swelling was evident at extremeties, so that warrants more attention than ice when it comes to any snake bite. Some people like myself are more resistant to snake venom, whereas some like this poor guy, aren't.
What do you people think a hospital visit cost these days? $50? Get real people.
I don't think you guys understand. There have been DEADLY spiders found at walmart stores. 1 store had a Brasillian wandering spider (aka banana spider) that someone had accidently brought home...the customer probably would have died had he been bitten, another customer found a black widow spider in grapes at a whole foods, and another little girl was stung by a scorpion at walmart when she picked up a watermelon. This is something that happens all too frequently...it is the employees JOB to check and make sure that the products aren't crawling with deadly things. PERIOD. Walmart is and SHOULD be liable and pay him.
@Max - it was a 1 foot rattler with 4 buttons - read with comprehension!
Pigotry - LMFAO - Good one!
Geez...like we needed another reason not to shop at WalMart!
Where will it end? ;)
OK so he got snake bit..... I bet he couldn't have found another snake bite at a lower price with more selection and value than this one. Walmart, doing it's best to keep prices down. Too bad it wasn't one of those fat lazy bastards that misuse the electric carts. Now that would have been funny.
"Too bad it wasn't one of those fat lazy bastards that misuse the electric carts"
I feel so wrong for laughing so hard
Ok YELDARB, that was funny! Thank you!
now you know how it's like to be snake-bitten.
I agree about the fat lazy bastards on the electric carts, the ones that park at the front doors and get in the way. Everyone is thinking 'you fat lazy bastard, you could do with the exercise'. The electric carts should be for people that are unintentionally disabled. They should make the saddle smaller, or take it off, that would bring tears to their eyes. I can see the headline 'Snake scared off by screaming fat lazy Walmart shopper, with electric cart inserted up rectum'.
wow, you can tell if someone is "intentionally disabled"? I've seen quite a few people become obese as a result of their disability--being on steroids or other medications that can mess with your metabolism, for example. just saying.
It seems to me that since they knew what kind of rattlesnake it was, they could have administered antivenom the first time he visited the ER and likely prevented the troubles he is now experiencing after the fact. Admittedly, my expertise is not in the medical field so I submit that there may be a valid medical reason why this didn't happen, but it does strike me as odd that they did not initially.
"but it does "STRIKE" me as odd, now that's funny. Come on people, there are much more snake references than just this one.
how about, "I MFn tired of all these MFn snakes at my MFn Walmart." SLJ
The hospital could not tell how deep the punctures were? That is pretty pathetic, also. They should have done some research to find out how long a reaction to the venom would take to start and not release him until then.
Good lord. When I was a young woman, I was bitten by a rattlesnake. Yes, it hurts, but hysteria isn't called for and only makes your heart pump the venom through your system faster. I wouldn't let anyone kill "my" snake. Since I had already been bitten, I put it in a jar and took it outside to let it go before going to the hospital. It wasn't the snake's fault. It wasn't trying to eat me for lunch. It was defending itself from a perceived threat.
My finger is... odd. Slightly misshapen, and sometimes becomes extremely cold, white, and numb. No big deal among life's slings and arrows. It swelled to the point I had to have surgery, so I'm not sure if the result is from the bite or the surgery. Thirty years later I can still see the little fang marks though. Kind of interesting.
I am shocked that they sent him home after a rattlesnake bite. A so-called "dry" bite can still release some venom and there is no way to know how much venom has been released. Wouldn't want to go to that ER. If he wants to sue someone--it should be the hospital.
Yeah it's the hospital's fault if he suffers any permanent damage. Excruciating pain usually results from a venomous bite though, and obviously they overlooked that.
valid reason? He was probably uninsured.
He may or may not be insured, but he was certainly rattled.
Patter 123 excellent post the last thing to do is tap dance on the snake
I feel so sorry for the snake's family, who've lost a parent, terribly too soon. The snake's family will have no problem finding a good lawyer. Every snake has relatives who are lawyers.
The medical staff made a mistake because they did not keep the guy for observation. All they did was take one look, saw no initial swelling and told the guy to go home. Most (if not all) hospitals have a policy in place regarding venom bites that do state a patient has to be kept for observation over a specified period of time to keep an eye on any side effects from snake bites. I hope the hospital does a thorough review of their medical staff and policies on situations like this.
He can always use his "medical" marijuana for the pain. Why didn't he just smok a blunt on the way to the hospital?
He was probably already high and the snake was actually a piece of garden hose that was laying on the floor!
@dogfish720 --- He finished off a blunt just prior to the incident. That's why he didn't know the difference between a live rattlesnake and a stick. Obviously his "medical" marijuana has killed all the pain in his brain, or fried it one.
It's George W Bush who works as a greeter and morphs into a rattlesnake - biting shoppers already snake-bit by his recession.
I am glad that the truth is out, it was George Bush's fault.
Pigotry show's his ignorance as usual. Everyone knows that rattlesnakes are liberals.
Rattlesnakes are liberal. Rats are conservative. Either bite is nasty.
'Rattlesnake' starts with an 'R' - similar to 'Repugnant' - I mean - 'Republican' Party. Recession (Bush's recession) - which bites too - also starts with an 'r'
He probably brought the snake with him.
Sounds like he was over medicated. Did they give him a yellow funny face sticker?
Not only Walmart prices rattle people, Walmart snakes also rattle people.
Hmmm. Thinking something doesn't sound quite on the level........
My spidey sense is tingling.
Lets see, he should sue huh? Who? Walmart?!! The snake maybe? My god, this is why the country is so effed up. Walmart had nothing to do with him being bit! If they had a den of snakes around to control rodents or something, sure, but its no different than if he was hit by lightning while shopping there. Then who ya gonna sue? God!! Im not a Walmart customer, or fan by any means but come on people. Youre the same morons that sue when your coffee is too hot, etc.
Right before the incident, the snake was practicing Hamlet, practicing the line -
To rattle, or not to rattle, that's the question.
To shake spear or not to shake spear??
Prayers are with the victim.
Poor snake. If he had'nt stomped it to death, it would have died anyway. You never know what you'll contract when you bite a Wal-mart employee :)
Except the guy wasn't an employee...but since the snake "bitee" grows marijuana (and I sort of doubt that he only grows it...), I wonder if the snake would have gotten high from the bite???
Mike,
Missed the part that he was'nt an employee. That makes it that much worse for the snake.....biting a Wal-mart shopper!!!
just another reason not to shop at wal-mart. maybe it was brought in on one of those ships from foreign countries. this guy must be in better health than he thought--he survived a snake bite. details of mega millions law suit to follow.
if money would make his hand feel better why didn't they take him to a bank instead of the hospital ?
10 million? why not 8 or 12 million? maybe wal-mart should buy him a lottery ticket?
money is not the answer to every thing, maybe he smoked before he shopped?was he stoned when he saw the ( stick)?
Money won't buy happiness ..... but it will rent it.
Good one, Wade, thanks. If one get hurt at Wal-Mart, just rush them to the nearest ATM, and all would be well.
Bag of mulch $3.88, snake bite....priceless.
Walmart generosity is so contagious, even snakes inside Walmart perform customer services.
Since it happened in a Walmart, the snake probably came from China.
What I don't get is why the hospital did not keep him for observation! They are the ones he should sue.
Walmart prices are already too low, they also throw in a snake-bite as giveaways?
yank, maybe the guy should sue the snake's family.
I lived all my life in Salmon, Id and I assure you, THERE IS NO WALMART!!! They should get their facts straight....it happened in Clarkston, wa no where near Salmon, id.
more fabulous msn editing...(or lack thereof)
That caught my attention too. The fact he admitted to using the mulch for his MJ plants also confirms the fact that this didn't happen anywhere near Salmon.
@ Hailey - They never said it happened in Salmon. It was reported from Salmon, Id which is probably where the hospital is. The first line of the story reads:
When Mica Craig reached down to brush what he thought was a stick off some mulch in the garden section of a Washington state Wal-Mart, it turned around and sank its fangs into his hand.
@Kat-1745504
Story says the hospital was in Lewiston, across the border from Clarkston where the bite occurred.
A lot of the Reuters stories regarding Idaho seem to be reported out of Salmon, which is strange because Salmon is in the middle of nowhere and is a long way from Lewiston/Clarkston.
But they have to find something to trash the media with. Justified or not.
Rattle snakes make noise. Sticks don't. How does one not know the difference between the two, stoned or not.
Rattle snakes don't always make noise.
rattlesnakes don't always make noise. they prefer to go undetected.i'm sure the snake was just as suprised as the zigzag man.
As Ron said,
Okay, that does it -- I'm never going to a Walmart after dark again. I wouldn't pick a sleeping one up, but when they are out hunting, who knows...
Doesn't matter, Wal-Mart will be doing a lot more than apologize.
By the time a trial lawyer takes this to WalMart's Insurance Company lawyer the hand will be healed or crippled. If he has permanent damage he'll get his apology in cash. IF he has a legal license to grow medical MJ and is a legal user he probably is already disabled officially which might demish the payoff. If he was under the influence and thinking a snake was a stick his payoff just got smaller. Lesson would be: don't shop for mulch when you are high! There could be snakes nearby.
Was it an American rattler or Chinese?
Chinese, the snake floated over as a tail on one of those huge Chinese box kites.
"It's the most scared I've ever been in my life," Craig told KIRO FM from his hospital bed in Lewiston, Idaho. "I was screaming bloody murder through the parking lot."
Wuss.
He was probably just adding theatrics to build his "emotional/psychological distress" lawsuit on. I agree either way though........wuss. Pathetic.
..a snake-bite is the price you pay to shop at Walmart - now you understand why Walmart prices are so low! If you go lower, you stoop to the level of a snake.
"Don't say snakes!"
Suddenly I see a new reality television show on the horizon, "The Grass Growers of Idaho".
Mulch from Wallymart? I didn't know China even had rattlesnakes.
This was the only rattlesnake that China had. China has filed a wrongful death complaint to Eric Holder's justice department.
Someone's pet got away. I'm surprised he didn't pull out his gun and shoot it.
Yes! Hello rattler, say "good-bye" to my Mossburg 12 gauge! BOOM!!!
I've got a mossburg 12guage. It will get the job done.
Usually it's the long lines at check-out that cause the most pain.
I've been telling people for years that Wal-Mart is poison.
He'll be ok,....it will just swell up, turn red and eventually the swelling and pain will go away. Sure hope the Wallyworld gang have deep pockets.
You obviously know nothing about snake bites, and if this person were not treated promptly with the appropriate antivenom, there is a significant possibility they could have been seriously disabled or killed by it. I have seen what snake bits that were not treated quickly enough can do, and rattlesnakes are involved in many of them. As a matter of fact, rattlesnake bites comprise the majority of snake bite cases in the US, and there are several fatalities every year. While not every bite results in envenomation, most do, and the only difference is how much venom is injected. The more envenomation, and the lower the body weight, the greater the chance of death without treatment. So don't casually dismiss what could be a life-threatening event.
Mymom..... You're absolutely correct HOWEVER, most snake bites are either dry or involve little envenomization in North America, and MOST rattlesnakes to NOT deliver a full load of venom - unless they're little tykes that have not learned yet how to control their output. There are also about 20 people in the USA that die from snake-bite every year, giving a victim about the same risk of dying as getting hit on the head by Toto falling from the land of Oz. The real story here is about the questionable intelligence of a guy that can't tell a foot long rattlesnake from a stick. His mental status is also of question, since how many people would touch a snake they thought was a stick and THEN stick around long enough to watch it straighten out and bite them? (improbable since rattlesnakes get momentum from their coil and strike or by whipping around). The real answer to this situation can be had by simply going to a Wallmart and eye-balling the people that hang around that place. I'm sure that most rattlesnakes would die from biting the people instead of the reverse. Enough said!
freddy, if the swelling lasts for four hours or more, he should see a doctor. Where have I heard that before?