MELBOURNE, Australia (CNN) – A woman in Australia had a wild encounter with a deadly tiger snake while she was driving.
Police say a woman was driving about 50 miles per hour on the freeway Saturday when she felt something on her foot. When she looked down, she saw a tiger snake, one of the world’s most venomous serpents.
The snake started to slither up her leg, but she was able to fend it off while pulling over before jumping out of the car to safety.
Paramedics were on hand just to make sure she was OK and hadn’t been bitten.
Tim Nanninga of Melbourne Snake Control was called to the scene to capture and relocate the snake. He says the woman was very fortunate.
“It’s a miracle how she got off the road and safely parked the car,” he told 9News. “Normally when snakes are in cars, they find a really nice little hidey hole. They can stay in for days and not come out, but we were lucky the snake moved along to the back of the car.”
Tiger snakes live in many of the most populated areas of Australia, according to the University of Melbourne’s School of Biomedical Sciences. They are about three feet long on average. Their venom is neurotoxic and can cause paralysis, muscle damage and issues with blood clotting.
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