Australian man fights off deadly snake that attacked him in his car while he drove down the highway
- A man police identified as Jimmy was driving down the highway in Calliope, Australia, on June 15 when he saw a snake at his feet.
- It was an eastern brown snake, one of Australia's deadliest snake species.
- Jimmy was able to kill the snake using a seatbelt and his work knife, but fearing he'd been bit, he sped to a nearby hospital.
- Police stopped him along the way, and when they learned of the snake, they called a paramedic who confirmed Jimmy had not been bitten.
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An Australian man fought off a deadly snake while driving on the highway.
Police in Queensland, Australia, said in a news release published Tuesday that a 27-year-old, identified only as "Jimmy," was driving down the highway at 100 kilometers (62 miles) per hour when he noticed the highly venomous eastern brown snake near his legs.
Jimmy said in the news release, which said the incident happened on June 15 near the town of Calliope, that he fought it off with his seatbelt and a knife.
"A brown snake or a tiger snake is in the back of the ute (truck), I think it has bitten me, it was in the car with me," Jimmy can be heard saying in video released by police. "You can feel my heart, mate."
Eastern brown snakes are considered one of Australia's most dangerous snakes, and the species is responsible for the most snakebite deaths in Australia.
"The more I moved my legs… it just started to wrap around me," he said. "Its head just started striking at the (driver's seat) chair, between my legs."
He was able to kill the snake and sped to the hospital to be evaluated for snake bites. When police saw him speeding down the road at 123 kilometers (76 miles) per hour, they pulled him over.
Police called paramedics to the scene, and they confirmed Jimmy was safe and hadn't been bitten.
"It was pretty terrifying, I've never been so happy to see red and blue lights," Jimmy said.
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