An Australian woman narrowly escaped a potentially deadly encounter after a tiger snake, one of the world’s most venomous serpents, slithered onto her leg while she was driving on the Monash Freeway outside Melbourne, CNN reports.
Victoria Police responded to reports of a woman frantically flagging down cars on the side of the freeway. The woman, whose name has not been released, recounted a harrowing ordeal: while driving at 50 miles per hour, she felt something on her foot. Looking down, she discovered a tiger snake making its way up her leg.
“Remarkably, she was able to fend the snake off and safely navigate through traffic before pulling over and escaping the vehicle,” Victoria Police stated in a press release. Paramedics assessed the woman at the scene, confirming she had not been bitten.
Tim Nanninga of Melbourne Snake Control, who was called to remove the snake, described the situation as “a miracle.”
“It’s incredible she managed to get off the road and park safely. Normally, snakes in cars find a hiding place and stay there for days. We were lucky this one moved to the back of the car,”He told 9News.
The recent tropical weather in Melbourne is believed to be driving snakes from their usual habitats in creeks and riverbeds, according to 9News.
