(UPI) Police investigating a report of a woman acting erratically at the side of a freeway learned she had pulled over as a result of a deadly tiger snake slithering up her leg.

Victoria Police said in a news release that officers responded "to reports of a barefoot woman on the side of the Monash Freeway, near the Toorak Road exit, attempting to flag down passing vehicles about 10:40 a.m." on Saturday.

The woman told officers she had been driving about 50 mph on the freeway when she felt something touch her foot and looked down to see a large snake climbing her leg.

"Remarkably, she was able to fend the snake off her and weave through traffic before pulling over and leaping out of her car to safety," police wrote.

The woman was examined by paramedics and determined to be uninjured while police weighed their options for dealing with the slithering stowaway.

"Needless to say, slapping the cuffs on this offender wasn't an option so officers called in specialist forces," the release said.

Melbourne Snake Control was contacted and a rescuer named Tim arrived and confirmed the serpent was a tiger snake, the fourth most venomous snake in the world.

"Passing motorists were left in bewilderment as the massive snake was safely removed from the vehicle," police wrote. And so ended one of the more bizarre welfare checks you'll ever hear about.

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