Terrified driver fights off deadly snake whilst driving at 100kmh on highway

One Queensland driver was confronted with an unexpected danger as he cruised along the Dawson Highway, west of Calliope, last month, after a deadly eastern brown snake began to wrap itself around him.

The tradie, identified only as ‘Jimmy’, used a work knife and his seat belt to kill the snake – which is highly venomous and one of the most dangerous in the world – acting out of fear for his own life.

The 27-year-old, from Gladstone, was travelling along the rural highway at 100 kilometres per hour at around 5pm on June 15 when he realised he was no longer alone in the cab. But as he tried to press the brake and bring his ute to a stop, the snake began striking at the chair between his legs.

Jimmy was left with no choice but to kill the snake, despite the animals being protected under the Nature Conservation Act 1992, and was making his way to the hospital when he was pulled over by Queensland Police for speeding, believing he’d been bitten by the deadly reptile.

QPS have since released footage of the moment they pulled Jimmy over, having clocked him driving at speeds of more than 120km/h. However the officer is given an unlikely story when he approaches the clearly panicked driver.

“I’m driving along at 100, and I just started to brake,” Jimmy can be heard telling the officer in the chest-cam footage. “…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.”

Paramedics attended the scene and it was determined that Jimmy had not actually been bitten by the snake but was suffering shock from the ordeal.

“It was pretty terrifying, I’ve never been so happy to see red and blue lights,” Jimmy said.