() – Police in Australia said a woman was forced to fend off a deadly tiger snake in her vehicle while driving at 80 kilometers per hour on a highway outside Melbourne.
Police officers responded to reports of a woman without shoes attempting to stop vehicles on the side of the Monash Highway on Saturday, Victoria Police said in a statement.
The woman told officers she was traveling 80 kilometers per hour when she felt something on her foot and looked down to find a tiger snake, one of the most venomous snakes in the world, slithering up her leg.
“Surprisingly, she was able to fend off the snake and weave her way through traffic before stopping and jumping out of her car to safety,” police said, adding that she was assessed by paramedics to make sure she had not been bitten.
Australia is famous for its deadly creatures, including a wide variety of sharks, snakes and two of the most venomous spiders in the world. In October, a lone hiker was found alive after suffering a snakebite after being missing for almost two weeks in Australia’s Snowy Mountains.
Tim Nanninga, from Melbourne Snake Control, who was called to the scene to capture and relocate the snake, said the Melbourne woman was very lucky. “It’s a miracle how he got off the road and parked the car safely,” he told affiliate 9News.
“Normally when snakes are in cars, they find a nice little hiding place and can stay there for days and not come out, but we were lucky that the snake moved to the back of the car,” he said.
Experts say the recent tropical weather Melbourne has experienced is attracting snakes from streams and river beds, 9News reported.
‘s Hilary Whiteman contributed to this report.
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