MCLEAN, Va. — A high school coach emptying his luggage after a team trip to South Carolina was bitten by a small rattlesnake — much tinier than the one pictured — that had gotten into his bag.
Andy Bacas, a rowing coach at Yorktown High School in Arlington, told authorities he felt a sharp pain on his hand Monday when he reached into his luggage. He then saw the nearly foot-long snake and slammed the suitcase shut.
Firefighters took the case outside and blasted the snake, a juvenile canebrake rattler, with a carbon-dioxide fire extinguisher. The chemical froze it to death. “The guy who responded had seen (the technique) done on TV,” said the Arlington County Fire Department.
Bacas’ son, Peter, said the luggage had been left open on a porch during the trip. Bacas was released after a night in the hospital. The Associated Press
