91-year-old’s walk to the mailbox turned into a raccoon fight and a $440 vaccine scramble

What should have been a simple walk to the mailbox ended with a fall, bite marks and a costly search for a rabies shot. Hal Hamilton, 91, said a raccoon came at him right outside his home in Barrington, Rhode Island, and the aftermath only got stranger from there.

1. It happened on the front steps, not out in the woods

Hamilton said the attack unfolded at the steps leading from his house during a routine trip to the mailbox. He said he had reached the fifth step when the raccoon came up behind him and knocked him off balance.

He described being hit several times and going down. The detail that makes the whole thing stand out is how close it happened to home. He was not deep in a park or on a long walk. He said it happened right by his own front door.

2. He said the raccoon looked ready to come back for more

According to Hamilton, the animal did not just make contact once and disappear. He said that after being kicked off the stairs, the raccoon recovered and appeared to be preparing for another charge.

That turned a strange encounter into something he believed could keep going, which is when a very ordinary item became the thing that helped him out.

3. His cane became the reason he could stop it

Hamilton said he had his cane with him, and that made all the difference. He said he was able to strike the raccoon with it, even cracking the cane over the animal’s head.

After that, he said, the raccoon went off down the wall and away. With the mailbox only a short distance from the house, that quick response appears to have ended the immediate danger.

4. He did not realise the full damage until he checked his clothes

Hamilton said the injuries were worse than he first thought. He later found puncture marks in his tracksuit bottoms and believed the raccoon’s claws had pulled the fabric up enough to expose skin.

He pointed to what he said were tooth marks and lower fang marks, suggesting the animal got a clean shot at his flesh despite the clothing.

5. The rabies shot search ended with a $440 bill

Afterward, Hamilton contacted the Department of Fish and Wildlife for guidance and said he eventually reported the incident to the Department of Health and local leaders.

He said he needed a rabies vaccine, but urgent care could not treat him and sent him to Newport Hospital. Hamilton instead said he went to CVS, where the vaccine was available. The surprise was the cost. He said his copay did not cover that particular shot, leaving him with a $440 bill. Even so, he made clear he wanted the vaccine regardless, saying he would have paid far more to get it.