Man bitten by rattlesnake at Idaho Wal-Mart

Published May 14, 2012

Associated Press

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

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

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

He said doctors expect him to remain hospitalized until Tuesday.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/05/1...-wal-mart/?intcmp=trending#ixzz1us8BLGYM

Looks like a 47 year old man from Clarkston, WA may be the new owner of WalMart.

he should have stood in bed.

Article does not mention it, but Wal-Mart had a "pest control" company come in and they found "several" more.
12" to 18" snakes est. of bystanders.

According to this morning's paper.

If you live in snake country you can find the dang things anywhere... pays to be observant

Interesting.....
it was outside in the garden center.
Again, not mentioned here but in the local rag, the man went to the hospital.
Was treated and sent home because of no swelling.
Got home and had a hand the size of a football, went back for treatment.

Sue Wal-Mart
Sue St. Joe's.

Win/Win

Attention Wal-Mart shoppers:

We are having a special on sticks in garden section. Go pick out yours now.

...and the best ones don't rattle when you pick 'em up.

not the first time this has happened.

Damn a snake! That is all.

Crap. When I read the title of the thread I thought "I'll bet some guy is gonna sue 'em for negligently having rattlesnakes in the store"


Like any reasonable salesperson would EXPECT a nest of rattlesnakes in the garden center

I dont believe I'd sue 'em, but that just me, and I have insurance.

Birdwatcher

I'm thinkin' the fella should have stopped in the optical department for a spell.

Still, a coral-headed rattlecoppermocassin would have had me shrieking too.

You never were much of a money-grabbing Back-stabber. Shame:)

My opinion you had better know the difference between a stick and rattle snake before you pick it up. You just can't fix stupid, so blame Walmart

I think you mean, "Damn, a snake."

ok, full disclosure.
The paper also says (more than once) that the bitee is a licensed medical mary jane grower.

Maybe THAT'S why it was a "stick"?

I wouldn't sue Wal-Mart either, but I wouldn't be surprised if he did.

"oh wow, like, Dooooood - I've never seen a Miracle Grow like thi.... OUCH"

Perzactly.
Look at the purty colors on that little stick. I'm gonna make me a b!tchin' pipe out of tha........ouch, Holy Mary, Mother of God.

That explains an awful lot right there. Toking two many samples for Quality control.

Obviously the snake wasn't a Walmart employee or it would have never paid the guy any attention.

On the other hand, it did have a bad attitude...

I wonder how many snakes he released before one bit him?

if there was no swelling i cant blame the hospital as there is no test for a snake bite but looking for swelling and neurological symptoms, if you dont have those than it was a dry bite....a basic round of antivenin costs $10,000(granted this figure is a number of years old now) when all is said and done and quickly goes up from there if there are any complications....not to mention complications from the antivenin arent exactly rare.....until i hear more it sounds like how i would have wanted the hospital to treat me....

You will know what this means as fair as amount, I don't.
Local rag said they used 6 bags of anti-venom.
Also said that they cut open his hand to ease pressure and that he will be disfigured.

6 bags is about average with Crofab, the old serum woulda required over twice as much and cutting open is normal to and believe me something you want done if the doc says you need it, to not cut can mean loosing the hand as the pressure increases it cuts off blood flow and tissue dies.......

disfiguring is likely with any bite from a rattlesnake, cottonmouth or copperhead.....cant blaim the docs for that....the only question is how much and that often depends on alot of things outside a docs control....

Wow!!! If that was a snake it would have..

I smell something wrong with this guy's story.

At least something seems more than a bit weird after reading the full story in the Lewiston Morning Tribune. Admittedly the LMT reporting of the story is more than a bit strange also, but after reading his comments I'll be shocked if this guy doesn't file a huge lawsuit against somebody.

I don't doubt he got bit by a rattlesnake, but the circumstances make this this seem more than a little strange.

Wasn't that a horribly written article?
Lead story, front page and
I said this morning when I read it, this is the worst written article ever.

Terrible article. The guy who wrote should have his diploma taken away. If he actually has one to take away?

Trying to decipher who had legal pot cards, what they were shopping for at the time, who drove who to the hospital, and who got bit, it was a real mess.

I shoulda kept my Captain Crunch decoder ring for trying to make sense of articles like that.

True Dat. Welcome to my world.

Was Wal-Mart set-up?

DId the snake have "Made in China" on it's belly?

Damn, I just hate those snakes that look like sticks. They're the worse snakes ever.

It sounds like some pot head figured out a way to get some real money without working. Whats one hand for a few thousand dollars . Lucky it didn't bite him on the balls when he carried it in the store in his pocket.

I wonder if it could have been shipped to them in boxes of plants, from a supplier? One company I worked for shipped a snake (don't know what kind, and did not see it) in a crate of oil coolers from California to NC. The guys in NC were a bit distressed.

Worse was the time, at a different company, when another crate got shipped to a customer in Utah. That one had a litter of dead kittens in the box. Seems a cat snuck into the warehouse, had a litter, and was away when the box got pulled from stock and shipped. That customer was also, rather distressed...

That was my first thought. I guess they're on to the old "slip and fall" thing.

especially if he had no swelling the first trip to the doc.....rattlesnake venom isnt known to take its time to kick in....granted might take a bit for full effect but any doc worth their salt will keep yah around for awhile for observation...if he was at the hospital for a reasonable amount of time with nothing showing a good guess was he got himself bit a second time and made sure it wasnt a dry bite that time.....

That's where you would be wrong. I meant damn a snake.

Very odd story to say the least and unfortunately pretty typical tribune reporting. I'd love to be able to watch the cover on KLEW tonight.

Look, if he picked up an actual stick and it bit him, am all for letting Walmart's insurance pay. That's what insurance is for, the "unfuggin' believable".

But a mary jane afficianado, of his own volition, chose to pick up a SNAKE in the store aisle. Barring proof that Walmart knew about and neglected to address a snake problem, ring up one WGAF for me. I mean, at what point are we not responsible for, um, picking up a rattlesnake and getting bit?

"If a snakestick done bit, you must acquit," I say.

You nailed it because KLEWless gave the meth-head his 15 seconds of fame.

He stomped on the snake after he got bit because he was worried about some kids who were nearby might get bittten if he didn't kill it. He is already talking about his medical expenses. So the groundwork is laid for a major lawsuit and he might get some sort of award for saving those helpless kids. Good job meth-head.

I always said I wanted to move to Lewiston. This is the first reason I've had to rethink that...... maybe I just won't shop at the Wal-Mart. (Didn't even realize they had rattlers in Idaho so once again, I learned something via the fire).

Makes a great final exam question for law school torts class.

The customer was an invitee.
The store probably was not negligent.
A rattlesnake in a garden center is ultra-hazardous.
How do you assess the actual damages.
Do you award punitive damages.
Strict liability?

(Didn't even realize they had rattlers in Idaho so once again, I learned something via the fire). [/quote]
Oh yeah! We used to practice rock climbing down in the breaks near Clarkston. Had to watch where you put your hand. One time tried to land a raft on the rocks on the Clearwater. Decided to find a different place after we got a real close look at what was already in possession of the rocks.

Just glad it wasn't a child that was bitten.
That would have been far worse for all involved...

Lots of rattlers in areas of Idaho, some at surprising elevations. For example way up the Selway river in heavy forest are some monster (for Idaho) rattlers and lots of them.
The homes near rock slides and draws in Lewiston have buzz tails.
My bird hunting buddy kills about 5 every year on his patio. He wife was bitten by one 3 falls ago while picking leaves out of a flower bed.

i ran into some outside Butte, MT at well over a mile up.....dont really think there are many places in the western US below the tree line where its impossible to run across rattlers.....the closer to the treeline the more uncommon they are likely to be but would say its still possible to run across them...

I would say it's not unresonable, to expect not to get bitten by a rattlesnake while shopping at WalMart. Especially since others were found later. Sounds like a lawsuit to me. fwiw Butch

If they new or should have know about the snakes it's a good case. Otherwise I'm a little dubious, but if I were WMT, I'd settle.

I would think the store has some obligation to keep poisonous snakes off the premises. And had I been bitten in the store, absent ridiculous negligence on my part, I would expect the store to cover the medical bills. I am pretty sure my medical insurance would expect the store to pick up the tab as well.

But I do have a real problem with "undeserved enrichment".

on the other hand, its spring and snakes are just starting to move for the most part in Montana, guessing its the same in Idaho.....snakes may have only been around a short time and not been seen by any employees....it was out in the garden section and not in the mens bathroom after all....

The latest report is that it happened in a Walmart on the WA side of the border, in Clarkston, WA, not Lewiston, ID. Idaho snakes are more polite.

LEWISTON (AP) �A man
says he reached down to
pick up a stick lying in the
gardening aisle of a Wal-
mart in eastern Washing-
ton 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
reports a bystander drove
Craig to an emergency
room in nearby Lewiston.
Craig says he was treated
with six bags of anti-ven-
om and was told that his
hand could be permanent-
ly disfigured.
He says doctors expect
him to remain hospitalized
until Tuesday.

What a cynical bunch we have around here. Can you really seriously believe someone intentionally allowed himself to get bitten by a rattlesnake for a potential lawsuit? There is not enough cash for me to try that one.

Well in today's article, it got better.
Now the reporter is saying, that the bitee told him more snakes were found.
Wal-Mart says no more snakes were found.
The treating doctor says, they sent the bitee home after 2 1/2 hours in care with no redness or swelling whatsoever. He came back later all swollen.
Wal-Mart is viewing tape to see what took place.
Stay tuned.

I believe the guy might have a good case.

He's a lucky dude.
They had anti-venom on hand.

Now?
He can cash in and move to Montana.
And be a dental Floss Tycoon!

Just him and the pigmy pony....

The plot thickens.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ialhaxhr7iA

movin' to Montana...

That is what I love about the wetside of the state as poisonous critters don't live on this side of the state.

I guess I've been lucky as I've lived on the dry side for years, grew up around Spokane, lived in the Columbia Basin and have hunted, fished, camped and trucked all over Eastern Washington and have never seen or heard a rattler once.

HUH? for real? The Spokane part I can understand but anywhere east or south is prime.

some ppl are like that, never see one......i love snakes and have been chasing them since i could walk......but my luck with finding them is often so-so, however the best way ive found to locate rattlers is to follow one of my uncles around cause if there is a rattler within 100 miles he is gonna wind up accidentally stepping on it

but you have common sencesnakebite deaths are so rare in the US anymore combined with "reality TV" and you get idiots coming up with a brilliant idea.....ive seen some minor bites passed off as no big deal on some of the shows more than likely cause after all the drama it was actually a dry bite....

I've lived, hunted, fished, & camped in so central Idaho for 60 years and I've only seen 2 or 3 rattlers in my life. They're there, but you don't see them often.

.... always thought Stick was a snake!

Rattler,

I know you are pretty up on snake stuff so I ask you this question:

Isn't it a bit odd that the guy gets bit, goes to the hospital and after 2.5 hours with no swelling present and the Dr. sends the guy home, that the hand suddenly swells up?

Can rattlesnake venom take that long to show its effect?

extremely odd for as bad as the bite turned out to be, requiring cutting to release pressure....if a bite is that bad you usually know it s going to be no fun pretty soon after.....any neurologic symptoms generally kick in within 20 minutes and worsen either gradually or quickly depending on species.....redness and swelling usually starts fairly soon aswell, how quickly it gets bad depends on species and amount of venom injected.....if there was any redness or swelling at all i cant see a doc sending them home as that means envenomation.....

which is why i gotta wonder if this was some sort of stunt to get a settlement with the guy finding the small rattler elsewhere and bringing it to Walmart thinking that a bite from a small snake isnt gonna be bad and worth a payout.....

I found this on wikipedia:
"A lack of burning pain and edema 1 cm away from the fang marks after 1 hour, suggests that either no or minimal envenomation occurred. A lack of edema or erythema in the area of the bite after 6�8 hours indicates a lack of envenomation for most rattlesnake bites". Sounds like if it injected venom, you're going to know it within an hour.

This whole thing sound fishy. The guy grows 'medicinal' marijuana legally. I suspect he was road testing his crop.

outside the US you can run into snakes with wierd venoms.....took a long time to figure out that the boomslang in Africa was venomous cause if yah got bit you were fine for about 2 days then you started bleeding from every hole in you body, including, though rarely, your sweat glands.....

in the US you pretty well have one of two things(or a mix of the two) either like with coral snakes, Mohave greens and eastern diamond backs(there are others aswell) its mostly neurologic and you start having problems breathing, walking, talking ect or like copperheads, western diamondbacks and others your hand starts swelling up and turning maroon purple and black....but pretty well in the US you know whether or not your [bleep] within an hour.....

with most species though, especially the tissue destroyers, it takes long enough to actually kill you that you can get to medical help easily with in the time frame to save your life....mohave greens you need to get to the ER alot quicker though

Thanks for the venom report rattler.

I'm firmly in the camp of something seems a bit phony here. And I wouldn't doubt for second that there are people willing to run the risk of a snake bite for a potential payoff. I've seen this guy on the news and read his comments in the articles, he fits the bill of a guy who wants something.

Only snake I like is a dead one!

I have asked and perhaps it has been posted before but does anyone have pics of posionous US snakes and comparisons of commonly misidentified non-venous ones they can share? Would like to be abel to be certain to tell a water snake from a cottonlouth or bull snake from copper head. I want to be more certain to know the difference.

Here you go -

Poisonous snake:



Sticks:

if yah dont know dont touch but in general with the pit vipers like moccasins they have fat cheeks with a distinct neck.....least thats bout the easiest way to tell but if your not comfortable around snakes just dont mess with any you cant identify....as i said earlier a bad mistake costs a minimum of $10,000 in hospitl bills....

cottonmouth


watersnake


course a chunky cottonmouth has a less distinct neck

After looking at a few, you can recognize them quite easy. Most times, if not all, the pit vipers that we have in the US will look chunky. In others words they will be heavy for their length. miles

It's the snakes that look like sticks that will get you.

my wife cant figure out how i can identify ones i run across here as harmless or not even if i just catch a brief glance at one.....basically ive looked at and held thousands of snakes and the prairie rattlers here look like none of the other snakes....hell i can identify the majority doing 70 down the highway, only screw up s i have at 70 are sometimes racers and garters look alike and occasionally a hognose looks like a rattler when flying down the road....

In the early-mid 1960's, I worked three summers in central Idaho (Dixie and McCall) and I ran into several. Once I stepped on one as I stepped over a log to retrieve my parachute from a tree. It struck my ankle but did not penetrate due to the thick boots (White's Smokejumpers - best boots going, then and now).

Rattlers are all over, but not often seen.

What steps could Wal-Mart have taken to keep rattlers out of their store? Is it reasonable for the company to assume that a rattler would enter the premises (although I realize that the garden section is outside the store)? This incident just may be declared an act of God or nature. It would be good PR for Wal-Mart to pick up all medical costs and treat the guy to a good dinner.

Wal Mart invites the public into their stores ( including out door garden centers ) with the asumption that it is safe to be there.
Deadly vipers ?
Sticks?
Heck, people trip over a hose left out and win suits!

So, any latest news on this story? Has the guy been arrested for fraud yet?

Some members of the 'fire are forming the posse now.

Haven't kept up with every post but wasn't it reported that SEVERAL rattlers were caught in the garden center after the reported bite? So the conspiracy is the guy put SEVERAL snakes in a Wal-Mart and intentionally let one bite hime so he could sue?

some reports say several, some say just the one.....the guy says several, walmart says one....its a really [bleep] up story thats for sure....the reporting on it sucks....

When you're dealing with a rattler, one can seem like 40. I suspect that Walmart is being more truthful than the guy is.

http://www.4029tv.com/r/27708929/detail.html

Been done we won't be shocked now......

Good catch 'slave.

Hmmm, and that was a few weeks back... Just enough time for the latest meth-head to find a rattlesnake and try his own hand at the Walmart retirement plan. I'm thinking Walmart is looking at the latest bite pretty closely.

Rattler, From what I've read and heard on the news no other snakes were found despite all the rumors of numbers from a few to dozens being found.