Woman fends off deadly snake on Melbourne motorway

A driver was forced to stop unexpectedly on a Melbourne motorway after she looked down and spotted a deadly snake in her car – slithering up her leg.

Police were called to conduct a welfare check on the woman who was “hissing on the side of the road” and attempting to flag down passing cars, Victoria Police said.

The woman told officers she was driving at 80 km/h (50 miles per hour) on the Monash Freeway when she felt something on her foot.

Melbourne Snake Control was called to recover the animal, which was found to be a tiger snake, one of the most venomous reptiles in the world.

The driver was taken to hospital as a precaution but apparently escaped uninjured, according to paramedics.

“Remarkably, she was able to fight off the snake and weave through traffic before stopping and jumping from her car to safety,” Victoria Police said.

Officers said she was “shocked” and “in a state of shock.”

Passing drivers were “stunned” as the snake was pulled from the car, police added; Melbourne Snake Control’s Tim Nanninga said some in traffic had started filming the removal.

He told ABC News he released the snake back into the wild “far from homes, people and pets.”