When a Swiss couple driving through Death Valley, California saw a tarantula crossing the road over the weekend, they suddenly braked to avoid hurting the little critter. The hairy spider crawled away with nary a scratch, but the act of kindness injured a 24-year-old motorcycle driver, who rammed into the back of the couple’s camper van after the unexpected stop.
The motorcyclist, from Canada, was rushed to the hospital, but his condition hasn’t been reported.
“Our roads still have gravel patches due to flood damage, and wildlife of all sizes are out,” said a National Park Service official, urging people to “please drive slowly” in the area.
From the Independent:
While much of Death Valley’s wildlife has been disturbed by flooding, tarantulas are often seen at this time of year as its their mating season.
During the fall, eight to 10-year-old tarantulas leave their burrows, where they spend most of their lives, to search for a mate. …
Tarantulas are slow-moving and not aggressive to humans. If they do bite, it is not deadly but feels like a bee sting, according to NPS.
This is not the first time a spider has been at the centre of a collision. In 2019, an arachnophobic woman in New York suffered a leg injury after she spotted a spider on her front seat and crashed her car.
