Lancaster woman hanging Christmas lights attacked by raccoon

LANCASTER, Mass. — Donna Sanginario, all 4-foot-10 of her, had the fight of her life with what she described as a 40-pound raccoon while hanging Christmas lights last Wednesday.

“I got him, finally rolled over and had him choking, and he’s biting me up here. And I’m screaming and he’s screeching,” Sanginario said.

She says the attack happened right outside of her front door.

“I just came out without my coat on to put on those little tiny twinkles over there on the bushes,” she said.

At first, she tells Boston 25 she heard this growling noise, which at first she thought was a passing car. But it was no vehicle.

“And I looked, it was a huge raccoon that was just like 10 feet from me. So, I tried to take a step back and he jumped right in my face,” she said.

Sanginario used her arm to cover her head. She shared pictures that show bite marks up and down her arm and her blood-stained Patriots sweatshirt.”

“I was screaming, he was screaming. I got him tossed in the air, then off of me finally once I threw him on the ground, and he jumped right back at me,” she said.

As a last resort, she dropped to the ground.

“I finally got him in the neck and under my elbow here, under my shoulder, and he’s biting and screaming. I’m yelling to my neighbors ‘please someone come help me,’” she said.

But no one heard her. Then suddenly, as quickly as it started, it was over.

“So finally, he did stop moving and he got up, looked at me, and walked away. It’s crazy, it’s crazy and it’s scary. I’m just glad I’m alive,” she said.

Sanginario is on the mend and is sore. She’s had two rabies shots and needs two more. Her biggest concern now, police and her husband couldn’t find the raccoon. She’s just hoping this doesn’t happen to someone else.

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