The incident took place on 15 June on Dawson Highway, with Queensland Police having released this week a video with the driver following the interception of his vehicle, where he explains what happened.
Highlights
- A 27-year-old man from Gladstone, Queensland, came face to face with a venomous reptile while driving on the highway.
- Using his seat belt and a work knife he fought off the snake before it had a chance to attack him.
- A road police officer stopped the ute driver for speeding on his way to the hospital thinking he had been bitten.
‘Jimmy’, 27, told the traffic officer he was driving at 100km/hour when he spotted the highly venomous eastern brown snake - one of the deadliest in the world – at his feet.
He started to brake but realised he was unable to move it.
“…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,” he said.
The driver was intercepted by road police when seen travelling at 123km/hour.
As shown in the video, he explains to the officer he was rushing to the hospital, thinking he had been bitten and pointed to the killed venomous snake he was carrying at the back of his ute.
Thankfully, the driver was mistaken and was unharmed.
Paramedics were immediately called at the scene and though his life was not in danger they determined he was suffering from shock from the unfortunate encounter.
“It was pretty terrifying, I’ve never been so happy to see red and blue lights,” he is heard saying relieved after realising his ordeal was over.
In their statement around the incident, Queensland police notes that “while this was a particularly unique situation” snakes are protected under law, reminding the public attempt to capture or injure wildlife is not allowed in Queensland. For information on what to do if you encounter a snake on your property visit this page.
