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Fla. mailman bitten by snake during his rounds

Suspected rattler in mailbox strikes his hand; carrier resumes delivery

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updated 6:04 p.m. ET Oct. 11, 2008

TAMPA, Fla. - Forget rain, sleet or snow. The bite of a poisonous snake wasn't enough to keep Florida mail carrier Efraim Arango from his appointed rounds Friday.

The 66-year-old was bitten as he put mail inside a mailbox. He told authorities that he shook his arm and thwacked the snake against his car door to break its grip.

Arango continued to deliver mail for 30 more minutes before getting help.

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Authorities said Arango identified the snake that bit him, and it was probably an eastern diamondback rattlesnake.

He was treated at a Tampa hospital.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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