Nu uh, rattler bites are no small thing. He'll be lucky if he keeps his whole finger. They necratise, swell until the skin splits, and all that goes up the whole limb. He'll probably have a nasty scar to his elbow, at least.

It isn't, though. Well, it is, but not JUST the south. Rattlers live in all parts of the country. Except in a 5 ft bubble AROUND ME.

I've seen snakes on the ranch I used to live on, on hikes in the area, on patios at the hotel I work at and on the golf course. Thank heavens I haven't been bitten by one.

It seems odd the snake did not rattle before striking but he probably just got startled it.

I feel sorry for this gentleman and I hope he has health insurance. It seems unlikely Walmart will accept any liability for this incident since it wasn't their snake and they cannot control a wild animal coming unbeknownst into their business.

For those who are suggesting the guy who was bit in the hand is whining over nothing, have you ever seen a picture of necrosis as a result of a rattlesnake bite? Scary stuff. Of course, you usually have to be the type who puts off going to the hospital before you suffer that. But reading the Wikipedia entry on this species of rattlesnake, I wonder. It mentions that while most pygmy rattle snakes can't produce enough venom to kill a human, antivenins have no real effect. The victim is in for hours/days of severe pain and swelling, depending on the dose they got.

While 8 bites in different Walmart garden centers over 20 years seems like it's not that bad, you'd think that Walmart would be assessing their facilities to see if there's anything they can do to keep poisonous snakes from hanging out there. Outside of top brass visits.

"Yeah, but if you send in the mongooses (geese?), you will need the coyote on standby to get the mongooses."

yeah. but then you'll have coyotes so you'll need some angry rednecks with guns... oh wait. nevermind.

Translation: he envisioned he had a claim of some sorts, contacted a lawyer, the lawyer was not successful in getting money from Wally.

Hey -- accidents at 4-way stop signs work in my state. You can even pay to sit in the back seat!

"Page is the seventh known victim to suffer a snake bite at a Walmart."

And, shoot, even over 20 years and still no response whatsoever? Sheesh...thats just bad all around.

K

Ahh, wacky Wal-Mart...what will you next?

Maybe this store could call that poor Taco Bell in NYC and order a few rats to keep their snakes busy.

Phew, thank God you pointed that out. I was just about to write my congressman an angry email about the easy availability of poisonous snakes at large retail chains. Won't someone please think about the children?

Aaargghh! That pic is a nightmare vision -- I'm going to have to rinse my brain out with Lysol to get it out my head. I.hate.snakes.

Wal-Mart should just throw some hush money and the victims and leave it at that. Of course, then you get guys like the shoe department con man...

A man said a snake was hiding in the shoe department and he was bitten on the hand. When the case was investigated neither his bite nor the snake "he stomped to death" were very fresh.

http://www.texnews.com/1998/2003/texas/texas_Reports__103....

Oh wait, no I don't. :) WalMart still blows.

That said, Wal-Mart should be liable for something in this matter. Still, The Consumerist needs to read its articles a bit better. Sorry, new weekend guy, no cookie here.

I'm not making light of the snake bites, I'm just not sure what Wal-Mart can be expected to do when, less than once a year, a snake bites a customer in the outdoor section at various stores around the state.