A 91-year-old man was attacked by a raccoon. The rabies vaccine wasn’t covered by insurance — and cost hundreds

Por Isabel Keane — – World RSS Feed

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A 91-year-old man was attacked by a raccoon. The rabies vaccine wasn’t covered by insurance — and cost hundreds

Hal Hamilton fended off the raccoon by cracking his cane over the vicious animal’s head

Isabel Keane in New York Sunday 18 October 2026 17:52 BST

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An elderly Rhode Island man had a raccoon sneak up and attack him while walking to his mailbox — and the vicious assault ended up costing him hundreds of dollars, according to a report.

Hal Hamilton, 91, was walking to the mailbox just outside his home in Barrington, about 10 miles southeast of Providence, when a raccoon pounced on him, throwing off his balance as he walked down his front steps, Hamilton told WJAR.

“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 said.

Luckily, the mailbox isn’t far from Hamilton’s front door — and he had his cane to help defend himself.

“I was able to hit him with my cane and crack it over the head,” Hamilton said, explaining that the critter then ran off.

The 91-year-old reached out to the Department of Fish and Wildlife for instructions on what to do, and later reported the attack to the Department of Health and other local leaders, according to the report.

However, he didn’t realize until later that the raccoon had actually gotten its paws on him. Hamilton said 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 said. “So, what I feel is that those little claws pulled that up and they got a clear shot at the flesh there and gave me a rip.”

Not only did the raccoon rip his pants, but it managed to take a swipe at the back of Hamilton’s leg, leaving two fang marks on the back of his calf.

Hamilton then went on a hunt to get a rabies vaccine. After being turned away from his local urgent care, he opted to skip the hospital and instead got the shot at CVS.

“I went to CVS, and they did have the vaccine ready there,” he told the local news station.

However, the jab ended up costing him over $400 in the end, as 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,” Hamilton said.

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Rhode IslandDepartment of HealthRabies

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