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Florida Man Sues Wal-Mart Over In-Store Snake Attack

Hernando Today file photo

The dimutive size of a pygmy rattlesnake is evident in this comparison with a quarter.

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The Associated Press

Published: February 15, 2009

FORT LAUDERDALE - A 42-year-old man bitten by a snake in a Pembroke Pines Wal-Mart garden center is suing the company for negligence.

Jay Richitelli says he is the third Floridian in three years to be attacked in a Wal-Mart by a pygmy rattler. Two others were bitten in 2006 at the retailer's stores in Central Florida.

Richitelli's attorney says the Bentonville, Ark., company should have taken steps to prevent the attacks after they happened previously.

Wal-Mart wouldn't comment on the litigation filed in Broward County Circuit Court, but said customer safety is its top priority.

Richitelli says he still has respiratory problems and scars from the 2008 bite. But he's been back to Wal-Mart several times, saying their prices are too good to shop elsewhere.

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