A high school student in Arkansas found a venomous snake inside his helmet during practice and survived, reports infohub.kz.
The senior at Maumelle High School felt unusual movement inside his helmet after practice and showed it to an assistant coach. Upon inspection, a 2-foot (about 60 cm) cottonmouth was found behind the inner padding.
Because the venomous snake refused to come out, police officers had to pour water into the helmet to force it into a bag. Animal services technicians arrived a few minutes later, identified the snake as a deadly cottonmouth, and took it to a wooded area far from the school.
Cottonmouths are the second-most venomous snakes found in Arkansas. Animal services director Chris Davis said the player wore the helmet for nearly an hour and was fortunate he wasn't bitten.
"It was unreal," Davis said. "You had to kind of be there and take pictures to say this was real."
The player, who didn't panic, grabbed a different helmet and continued practice. However, the incident prompted the head coach to remind players to carefully inspect their equipment before use, checking for insects or even larger dangers.