Connecticut

Connecticut man bitten by rare rattlesnake he tried to help ends up in coma

Published

2 years ago

August 1, 2024

Connecticut man bitten by rare rattlesnake he tried to help ends up in coma

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — When Joseph Ricciardella saw the snake in the road, he stopped his car and tried to help it avoid getting run over.

The attempted good deed landed him in a Connecticut hospital in a medically induced coma after the timber rattlesnake, which is rare in the Northeast, bit his hand when he threw a shirt over it and tried to pick it up, said Brittany Hilmeyer, his former girlfriend and the mother of his daughter.

Hilmeyer said Ricciardella called her on Sunday to say he had just been bitten and was driving to the hospital. His voice sounded odd, like Donald Duck, she said. She said it happened as Ricciardella was driving from a park in upstate New York to his home in Torrington, Connecticut, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of Hartford.

It isn’t clear exactly where the encounter happened because he hasn’t been able to speak in detail yet to family and friends, she said.

Ricciardella, 45, a father of four who runs a landscaping business and has no medical insurance, went into cardiac arrest, was resuscitated and was later placed into a medically induced coma after being flown from a hospital in Torrington one in Hartford, Hilmeyer said. Doctors brought him out of the coma on Tuesday, but he remained intubated and sedated because of swelling from the venom, she said.

“It was surprising that, like, anybody would try to pick up a rattlesnake,” Hilmeyer said by phone Thursday. “But it doesn’t surprise me in the same sense because he kind of always did that. If he saw an animal on the side of the road or in the road, he would try to stop and get them out of the road. Or, if he was in his Facebook groups and he’d see they have animals that need help, he would take those animals.”

“It’s crazy. It’s something you would never think is going to happen,” she said.

The timber rattlesnake is one of two venomous snakes found in Connecticut — the other being the northern copperhead — and is extremely rare, according to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The snake is listed as endangered and is illegal to kill or collect. Rattlesnake bites are also extremely rare in the state, the agency said.

Ricciardella’s brother, Robert Ricciardella, said they grew up in Waterbury, Connecticut, and spent weekends in upstate New York, where they used to play in the woods and catch snakes, lizards and other critters — but never a rattlesnake. He said he was surprised that his brother tried to help one and was bitten.

“He does quite know better,” he said.

Joseph Ricciardella’s family has set up a GoFundMe page that has raised more than $5,000 so far to pay his medical bills.

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Connecticut

Multiple cars involved in crash on I-84 in Hartford

Published

3 hours ago

March 4, 2026

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Multiple cars involved in crash on I-84 in Hartford

A multi-vehicle crash temporarily close Interstate 84 on Tuesday night.

The crash happened around 8:30 p.m. and involved four cars, according to the Hartford Fire Department.

Fire crews arrived at the scene and helped one of the drivers who was trapped. The driver was then taken to a local hospital for evaluation and treatment.

Four other people reported minor injuries but declined ambulance treatment at the scene, officials said.

I-84 East was temporarily shut down as crews responded but has since reopened.

The Connecticut State Police is investigating the crash.

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Connecticut

Sleet, freezing rain leading to treacherous travel in parts of Connecticut

Published

15 hours ago

March 3, 2026

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Sleet, freezing rain leading to treacherous travel in parts of Connecticut

As the snow turns to sleet and freezing rain in parts of the state this afternoon, it is causing some treacherous travel on Connecticut roads.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation is reporting several crashes.

There are crashes on both sides of Interstate 691 in Meriden.

A tractor-trailer jackknifed on the eastbound side of I-691 between Exit 5 and 3, closing the left lane. On the westbound side, a single-vehicle crash closed the left lane.

There is a two-vehicle crash on I-91 North in Middletown between Exits 20 and 21. The left and center lanes are closed.

A multi-vehicle crash has closed lanes of I-84 East in Waterbury between Exits 25 and 25A. There is a second crash on I-84 East in Southington near Exit 30.

In Cromwell, a two-vehicle crash closed the right lane of Route 9 North in Cromwell.

On Route 9 South, a crash closed a lane on the southbound side.

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Connecticut

The Great Westport Sandwich Contest kicks off with event at Old Mill Grocery

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

The Great Westport Sandwich Contest kicks off with event at Old Mill Grocery

People in Westport have the chance to pick the best thing between sliced bread.

The Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce held a kick-off event at Old Mill Grocery on Monday for The Great Westport Sandwich Contest.

The contest runs throughout March with 21 restaurants, delis and markets competing in 10 categories to be crowned the best sandwich maker.

Residents can vote in the following categories: Best chicken, best steak, best vegetarian, best combo, best club, best NY deli, best pressed sandwich, best breakfast sandwich, best wrap, and best fish/seafood sandwich.

After people sample sandwiches, they can vote for their favorites in each category on the chamber’s website. They will also be placed into a drawing to win a free sandwich from one of the 10 winners.

“Of course, the goal is to have people come to Westport and check out restaurants, our markets and our delis. This is a great promotion. I mean it is a competition, but mostly it’s to bring people to the restaurants. It also gives a great community activity because they are the ones who get to vote who makes the best one,” says Matthew Mandell, the chamber’s executive director.

Winners will be announced in April and receive a plaque.

The chamber has held similar contests to determine what establishment has the best pizza, burger, soup and salad.

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