Coach recovering after rattlesnake bite

ARLINGTON, Va., March 25 (UPI) -- Northern Virginia investigators believe a rattlesnake that bit a high school coach crawled into the man's suitcase on its own.

The small snake nipped Andrew Bacas on the hand Monday as he unpacked from a school trip to South Carolina. "He felt a sharp pain, brought his hand out and saw the bite," said Arlington County Assistant Fire Chief Benjamin Barksdale.

Barksdale said Bacas quickly closed the bag and called 911. Firefighters blasted the snake with a CO2 fire extinguisher.

An official at Bacas' school in Arlington told CNN it was believed the snake slithered into his bag rather than being planted there as a prank by a student.

Bacas is recovering at a Falls Church hospital.