Oh my! Sorry this happened to you... did it look like this?
Eastern Indigo Snake: these are endangered in the US, non-poisonous.
You can use an outdoor trash can lid to protect yourself from snake bites. If you throw a sheet or towel over the snake's head, he won't be able to see you and will give you a few seconds to grab a dog and get away.
King snakes eat other snakes, including poisonous snakes, they are immune to venom. If you find a kingsnake breeder, call and ask for some shed skins and put them around your yard, other snakes will avoid them.
One can get Huntavirus from overpopulations of mice, so snakes can be a good thing.
For people who have a debilitating fear of snakes and want to lose that fear... volunteer at a snake breeder's. I had to do that. I was scared to death of snakes. I went to a breeder's and asked to volunteer if he could help me lose my fear. It worked.
