91-Year-Old Rhode Island Man Attacked by Raccoon

A Rhode Island man, aged 91, was attacked by a raccoon while on his way to the mailbox, with the incident reportedly costing him a significant amount of money. Hal Hamilton, who lives in Barrington, situated about ten miles southeast of Providence, described the encounter, saying that the raccoon knocked him off balance as he descended his front steps.

“Right here is where the raccoon regained its composure, having been kicked off the stairs, and looked like it was going to have an assault number two,” Hamilton recounted.

Fortunately, the mailbox was close by, and Hamilton had his cane handy, which he used to defend himself. “I was able to hit him with my cane and crack it over the head,” he explained, adding that the raccoon then scampered away.

After the attack, Hamilton contacted the Department of Fish and Wildlife for guidance and later reported the incident to local health officials. Surprisingly, he didn’t realize at first that the raccoon had made contact with him. It wasn’t until later that he found puncture marks on the bottom of his pants.

“I looked at the other side of the tracksuit bottoms; there is no mark,” he noted. “So, what I feel is that those little claws pulled that up and got a clear shot at the flesh there and gave me a rip.”

In addition to tearing his pants, the raccoon left two fang marks on the back of Hamilton’s calf. Following this unsettling experience, he sought a rabies vaccine. After being refused at a nearby urgent care center, he decided against going to the hospital and instead visited CVS.

“I went to CVS, and they did have the vaccine ready there,” he shared with local news. Unfortunately, the cost was over $400 since it wasn’t covered by his insurance. “The copay does not take on this particular vaccine. $440 it was. And I said, ‘I don’t care if you multiply that by five, get it in there,” he concluded.