Posted on 04/27/2022 11:12:59 PM PDT by nickcarraway
The reptile slithered across the bonnet with the van travelling at around 70mph but there wasn't a happy endingM.
A van driver got a nasty shock when he noticed a unwelcome passenger clinging to his bonnet during a mundane commute. James Bristow was driving down the M5 towards Staffordshire when he spotted a one metre long grass snake slithering along the hood of his vehicle, despite travelling at around 70mph.
James' son Charlie, 25, caught the bizarre encounter on camera while the pair looked on in disbelief as the snake slithered across the bonnet and on to the van's wing mirror. He has since uploaded the incredible footage to TikTok, where it has been viewed more than 25,000 times in a matter of days.
In the short clip, captioned 'Driving down the M5 when this happened', the cold-blooded creature is seen clambering onto the wing mirror and sticking its long forked tongue out at passing drivers as it battles against the headwind. Keep up to date with the latest viral clips from across TikTok by clicking here.
Read more:'Bridezilla' divides opinion with strict list of rules she expects wedding guests to follow
Stunned passengers in the van are heard expressing their disbelief at the situation, with one saying: "Jesus Christ, I don't think I have ever seen a snake." Another succinctly adds: "Bloody hell," as the snake continues its journey towards the wing mirror.
However, there is sadly no happy ending to this great tale. As the reptile looks to make its way back onto the van's bonnet, it slips off the wing mirror entirely and falls onto the hard road below, much to the shock of those on board, who cry out 'oh no' in unison.
Charlie, who reassured viewers that they tried to pull over but were unable due to the road being a smart motorway, captioned the moment 'RIP lil buddy' as he accepted his new friend's fate. However, one of his fellow passengers was more optimistic as he is heard suggesting: "It might be alright".
Despite its impressive size, the British grass snake is not venomous and tend to be found close to water and in lowland areas. They are also protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which makes it illegal to intentionally injure or kill them.
HighlyHealthy Rangers Spot Giant Lion - Vet Is Shocked When Looking At The Ultrasound POPSUGAR Rotten Tomatoes' 22 Worst Movies Ever by TaboolaSponsored Links The bizarre moment left viewers on TikTok divided. While some were concerned about the snake's condition and many fearing the worst, others were on edge, swearing they wouldn't be able to get in a car again without checking for any unwanted reptiles.
Sadly the snake lost its grip and fell onto the road below Sadly the snake lost its grip and fell onto the road below (Image: Charlie Bristow / TikTok: @bristowfilms) SIMILAR ARTICLES TO THIS
Powered by "Should have opened the window and let him in," said one. "He's just a harmless grass snake." Another added: "Poor little grassy, hope he's good," while a third wrote: "I'm going to pretend there's a part two and the little guy is okay." Another person paid their respects to the snake, simply writing: "RIP".
However, some of those writing in the comments were not such big fans of snakes, with one ophidiophobe writing: "Nah, why have I seen this. I'm going to be checking everything." Others said they would have taken a different approach to simply trying to pull over, as one person said: "I would have increased the speed," and another adding: "I would have crashed."
A few viewers couldn't resist cracking jokes about the situation, with one person writing: "Snakes on a Van, sequel to Snakes on a Plane, in cinemas now". Another added: "Must be one of those new windscreen vipers!"
Man up and deal with it...its just a SNAAAAAAAAKE AAAAHHHHHHHHHHH IIIIIIEEEEEEE
It had been a rainy month in DFW and I was parking the hotel van, and I went past a car that had a 5 foot long snake wrapped around the passenger side mirror.
Of course, I notified my co-workers, and every body came out to look at the snake.
Everybody kept their distance from the snake, but we gawked at it for about 5 minutes, and all of the sudden, the "beep-beep" of unlocking the car door was heard, and the car renter was notified of the situation.
He asked me if there was an interstate type of highway he could drive to the BBQ place he wanted to go to, and I said yes, but I said it would be out of the way.
He took the interstate, and when he came back, I asked him did he get rid of the snake, and he said, it flew off the passenger mirror at 60 mph.
True story.
“However, there is sadly no happy ending to this great tale. As the reptile looks to make its way back onto the van’s bonnet, it slips off the wing mirror entirely and falls onto the hard road below, much to the shock of those on board, who cry out ‘oh no’ in unison”
Sounds like a happy ending to me.
They like to climb up in the engine compartments for the heat. Poor snake. Probably got smashed on the highway.
Say what you will about them, snakes do keep themselves clean. Ever wonder how they never have dust or dirt on them?
Meal on wheels.
I hit a bird on the highway. 5 miles later I found it on the grille. Thought it was dead but noticed some movement. Pried it out of the grille and set it down. It started to jerk around and i figured its all over. A few minutes passed and the bird started really jerking around and all off a sudden was on its feet. A few minutes later that damn bird was trying to flap its wings and what do you know? It flew right off. Amazing!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.