There are some things you just don’t expect to see or experience at airports, but you arrive for your flight and BOOM, there they are…
- The woman who fled the cops on her motorized suitcase at MCO
- The airport that had to be evacuated because of a toothbrush
- A guy who checked a can of beer as his only piece of luggage
- And OMG, the CRAZY things people have overheard at airports!
To add to this list, a woman at Boston Logan International Airport recently survived what was probably the most unexpected event of her life the other day, when she was stung by a scorpion while retrieving her luggage from the baggage carousel.
As per ABC News, the incident happened around 7:30pm this past Sunday, March 2nd, at BOS’s Terminal E customs baggage claim. According to police, she had grabbed her bags and was suddenly stung on her finger by a scorpion.
Boston EMS was called to the scene and they took the woman, who has not been identified, to a nearby hospital for treatment. Her injuries did not appear to be life-threatening.
The plane had flown in from Mexico and it’s likely the scorpion had hitched a ride from there, although it’s possible the arachnid had arrived from another location. There are over 2,000 species of scorpions found on every continent except Antarctica, but none are native to Boston.
Scorpions are generally more active at night and typically won’t sting unless provoked or attacked. Most stings occur when they’re accidentally grabbed (hello, BOS incident!) or stepped on or brushed against the body.
Most scorpion stings are not life-threatening, although they can be extraordinarily painful. Adult victims of scorpion stings are encouraged to get a tetanus vaccine, but only as a precautionary measure. Younger children and older adults are at a higher risk for developing more serious complications (according to the CDC, those could include agitation, arrhythmias, bleeding and other coagulation disorders, pancreatitis, uncontrollable muscle spasms, shock, and even death) that could require more intense medical care.
According to ABC, authorities didn’t immediately disclose the woman’s condition following the sting and it’s unclear how the scorpion ended up on her bag at the airport.
The scorpion has not been sighted again since the incident, according to state police. However, local authorities also haven’t confirmed if the scorpion has been captured or if it could still be wandering around the airport.
Well, that’s the stuff of airport nightmares, right there…
Want to comment on this post? Great! Read this first to help ensure it gets approved.
Want to sponsor a post, write something for Your Mileage May Vary, or put ads on our site? Click here for more info.
Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love it if you decided to hang around and sign up to get emailed notifications of when we post.
Whether you’ve read our articles before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!
This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
