DUBLIN, N.C. -- Authorities said a Bladen County man whose body was found at a racetrack here apparently died of a rattlesnake bite.

Lloyd Hood, 44, had been missing since Tuesday, when he spotted the 4-foot snake while walking with a friend through a wooded ravine next to Dublin Motor Speedway. Investigators said the friend -- who hates snakes -- went back to the car and waited while Hood tried to catch it.

Hood -- an avid hunter and outdoorsman -- never returned, and the friend tried unsuccessfully to find him before leaving and filing a missing person report Wednesday. Chief Deputy Phil Little said the track owner found the body Thursday near a concession stand at the isolated track off N.C. 87.

Little sound Hood's left arm appeared swollen and gray with marks consistent with a snakebite. He also said authorities do not suspect a crime, and were waiting on the results of a weekend autopsy.

Submitted on 10/10/2005

Submitted by: Stuart E. May
Reference: Oct 8, 2005

Copyright © 2005 DarwinAwards.com

James said:
Neutral: Repeat
We already have this one, and it is under consideration. The new information here (unless I missed it the first time around) is that the victim was an avid outdoorsman. He REALLY should have known better, as no sane outdoorsman I know would ever try and catch a rattlesnake bare-handed!

Sheryl said:
Neutral: Repeat
You didn't miss it the first time around, James. The info about the avid hunter and outdoorsman doesn't appear to be in the first submission and the Fayetteville Observer only gives a 7 day free search function. (Somehow I doubt that Moderators are going to subscribe to every single newspaper in the world to get the stories!)

Jack said:
Definitely Keep: For Darwin's Eyes
I 'm still not totally comfortable with this incident, but this submission does have more information, so I vote to keep it for Darwin's Eyes. Thanks, Stuart.

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