On their own, wrecks are dangerous at worst and frustrating at best. But in this case, an RV carrying 28 snakes ended up crashing on November 26. And the added presence of snakes including one venomous viper just makes the situation that much worse.
The incident happened on Interstate 95 in Wilson County, N.C., according to WRAL and WSOC. A box truck ended up rear-ending the RV as it was headed to Pennsylvania. It was a very packed RV at that. Inside contained five people, 28 snakes, two tortoises, five Bearded Dragons, two dogs and a cat. Sounds like a mini Noah's Ark!
Unfortunately, the wreck helped free one of the snakes, and that snake happened to be a very venomous viper. Fortunately, the owner managed to capture the snake without getting bit.
RV Carrying 28 Snakes
However, the truck driver wasn't so fortunate. He had to be transported to a local hospital. Authorities believe he fell asleep t the wheel.
"I have a bunch of reptiles, I do reptile expos," said the RV driver, per WRAL. "I had some venomous snakes get loose in the camper when this accident happened. So I had to get the snakes before the EMS personnel came in because I didn't want to put them at risk. I successfully got them."
"When I woke up at 1:30 a.m., I never thought that would be the phone call," Clayton Barfield, a tow truck driver for 16 years, said, per WRAL. "I would say this is in the top 10 of 'different.' "
"Our team arrived on the scene, ready to handle the recovery while ensuring the safety of everyone involved- including our reptilian passengers," Magnum's Towing and Road Service wrote on Facebook. "We collaborated with local fire fighters & police to secure the recovery of all the wildlife. Once the area was clear and safe, our team towed the units to get the roadway back open."
"In 19 years, I've never seen anything like this," a North Carolina State Highway Patrol trooper also told WRAL.
