Last Friday a 47-year old man named Mica Craig was shopping for mulch in an Eastern Washington state Walmart when he was bitten by a rattlesnake in the garden department and had to be taken to the hospital.

Thinking he was brushing a stick off a bag of mulch, Mica was very much surprised when a rattlesnake came to life and bit him on the hand. Mica stomped the snake and was taken to the hospital by a fellow-shopper. He is said to still be in great pain and may lose feeling in two of his fingers.

Walmart has apologized to Mica, who said he needed the mulch for his legal medical marijuana grow.

Quite an odd story, certainly not something you hear about very often. Walmart said they were looking into the incident and the store in question was searching for further “rattlesnake activity.”

Next time you’re at your local Walmart or any other retailer, don’t grab at any random “sticks” until you’re sure they’re not a snake.

- Joe Klare