TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Forget rain, sleet or snow.

The bite of a poisonous snake didn't keep Florida mail carrier Efraim Arango from his appointed rounds yesterday.

The 66-year-old was bitten as he put mail inside a mailbox. He told authorities that he shook his arm and thwacked the snake against his car door to break its grip.

Arango continued to deliver mail for 30 more minutes before seeking help.

Authorities say Arango identified the snake that bit him, and it was probably an eastern diamondback rattlesnake.

He's been treated at a Tampa hospital.