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Australian man fights off deadly snake while driving, police say

An Australian man speeding was never happier to see flashing lights.

That is because there was a deadly snake inside his pickup truck, and he feared he had been bitten by the highly venomous reptile.

“It was pretty terrifying, I’ve never been so happy to see red and blue lights,” said a man identified only as “Jimmy,” in a police news release published Tuesday.

Jimmy was driving on the Dawson Highway west of Calliope on June 15 at 100 kph (62 mph) when he noticed a brown snake in his vehicle.

“I’m driving along at 100, and I just started to brake,” the 27-year-old man said in the release. “And the more I moved my legs. … it just started to wrap around me. Its head just started striking at the (driver’s seat) chair, between my legs.”

The eastern brown snake is responsible for the majority of snakebite deaths in Australia, CNN reported. The venom from the snake works fast and can be fatal, capable of causing paralysis and bleeding in the brain.

Jimmy was not taking any chances. He used a seat belt and a work knife to fight off the snake and kill it. Then, he took off at a high speed toward the nearest hospital, according to the police news release.

An officer clocked Jimmy at 123 kph (76 mph) and pulled him over.

“Although the traffic officer had heard his fair share of excuses for speeding, he soon realized this was not just another colorful tale and promptly sought medical assistance,” the release said. “Paramedics attended the scene and it was determined that Jimmy had not actually been bitten by the snake but was certainly suffering shock from the ordeal.”




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