High school football player finds venomous snake inside helmet he was wearing
The Maumelle High football player wore the helmet for nearly an hour and was fortunate he wasn't bitten, animal services director Chris Davis said.
In a startling incident during high school football practice, a 2-foot-long venomous cottonmouth snake was discovered inside the helmet of a Maumelle High student. The young athlete felt a peculiar sensation within his headgear following warm-ups last week and promptly informed an assistant coach. Upon inspection, the coach found the slithering pit viper hidden among the helmet's padding.
Officials from local police had to employ a water-based method to extricate the snake from the helmet and place it into a bag for transport. Animal services technicians subsequently arrived on the scene, confirmed the snake as a potentially deadly cottonmouth, and relocated it to a safe distance from the school premises. Cottonmouths, identified as the second-most venomous snakes in Arkansas, posed no immediate threat to the player, who had worn the helmet for approximately an hour without sustaining any injuries.
Animal services director Chris Davis expressed amazement at the incident, emphasizing the importance of thorough equipment checks before use. The coach subsequently reminded his team to routinely inspect their gear for any hidden dangers, such as insects or larger threats, before donning it. The Maumelle Animal Shelter echoed this sentiment in a Facebook post, urging all individuals to conduct a swift visual examination of helmets, shoes, and other outdoor gear before wearing them. Such a brief check could potentially prevent a frightening or even dangerous encounter.
Written by urgent.news from CBS News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
