Australian woman finds deadly tiger snake at her feet while driving at 50mph

CNN
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Police in Australia said a woman was forced to fight off a deadly tiger snake in her vehicle while driving at 50 miles per hour on a highway outside Melbourne.

Police officers responded to reports of a barefoot woman attempting to stop vehicles on the side of the Monash Freeway on Saturday, Victoria Police said in a statement.

The woman told officers that she was traveling at 80 kilometers per hour (50 miles per hour) when she felt something on her foot and looked down to see a tiger snake – one of the most venomous snakes in the world crawled up her leg.

“Remarkably, she was able to fend off the snake and weave through traffic before stopping and jumping out of her car to safety,” police said, adding that she was checked by paramedics to ensure she was had not been bitten.

Australia is famous for its deadly creatures, including a wide variety of sharks, snakes and two of the world’s most venomous spiders. In October, a solo hiker was found alive after suffering a snake bite while missing for almost two weeks in Australia’s Snowy Mountains.

Melbourne Snake Control’s Tim Nanninga, who was called to the scene to capture and relocate the snake, said the Melbourne woman was very lucky. “It’s a miracle how she got off the road and parked the car safely,” he told CNN affiliate 9News.

“Usually when snakes are in cars they find a really nice little hiding place where they can stay for days without coming out, but we were lucky that the snake moved all the way to the back of the car,” he noted.

Experts say recent tropical weather in Melbourne is attracting snakes from streams and riverbeds, 9News reported.

CNN’s Hilary Whiteman contributed to this report.