SALMON: 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. The 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. Walmart Stores Inc has apologised.
Craig was rushed to the hospital by fellow customer Maria Geffre, who saw him crumple to the ground after crying out that he had been
bitten by a snake. She described the snake as at least a foot (30 cm) long with four buttons, or rattles.
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. A Walmart 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.