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Snake in car bites Ocean Grove driver
AN Ocean Grove mum has told of her frightening ordeal after a snake bit her on the leg while she was driving.
Jan Smith, a lab technician at Bellarine Secondary College, was travelling along busy Barwon Heads Rd last Saturday when she felt a sharp pain below her right knee.
She reached down to discover a snake had somehow made it's way into her Toyota Corolla and was coiled on the floor mat at her feet.
"I saw it and grabbed it and threw it out. There was no time to panic, it was so quick," Ms Smith said.
"It was skinny and dark and sitting on the floor mat. I don't know if it was a black or brown snake, I just know that I was very lucky."
Within minutes Ms Smith was suffering severe headaches and pains in her leg and, using her son's football jumper, tied a makeshift tourniquet around the wound a move she later conceded was the wrong way to treat a snake bite.
Unsure what to do, Ms Smith then drove home, where paramedics met her and rushed her to Geelong Hospital.Jan Smith, a lab technician at Bellarine Secondary College, was travelling along busy Barwon Heads Rd last Saturday when she felt a sharp pain below her right knee.
She reached down to discover a snake had somehow made it's way into her Toyota Corolla and was coiled on the floor mat at her feet.
"I saw it and grabbed it and threw it out. There was no time to panic, it was so quick," Ms Smith said.
"It was skinny and dark and sitting on the floor mat. I don't know if it was a black or brown snake, I just know that I was very lucky."
Within minutes Ms Smith was suffering severe headaches and pains in her leg and, using her son's football jumper, tied a makeshift tourniquet around the wound a move she later conceded was the wrong way to treat a snake bite.
She was back at home after a night in hospital but still bears fang marks below her knee.
Geelong snake catcher Jay Barnes said it was highly unusual for a snake to be inside a vehicle.
"It's bizarre circumstances ... it's very difficult for them to get inside a car. Really the only way for them to get in a car is if the door was left open or there was a hole in the firewall that separates the engine from the electrics," Mr Barnes said.
But snakes could be found in unusual places, especially during recent unseasonably warm weather.
"The first reaction that people have is to panic. But people should be aware not to do this because any sudden movement will catch the attention of the snake,"
"The snake is not going to strike unless they feel cornered, provoked or threatened."
Ms Smith said she wanted to warn others to be aware of snakes and to brush up on their first-aid skills.
"Living in a residential area with a lot of bush around me it's important for people to be cautious, especially people with young kids," she said.
Andrea Hamblin | April 8th, 2012
