Millipedes Cause Bizarre Australian Train Crash!
…Plus 4 Other Weird Pest Accidents

Pests spread disease everywhere they go. But did you know they can also pose serious safety risks and cause accidents? Here’s five times that pests caused dangerous, and sometimes weird, accidents.

1. Millipedes crushed on train tracks in Western Australia caused tracks to become too slippery and train to crash.

In a bizarre story from 2013, Millipedes were identified as a potential source of loss of traction in a train crash (One would think that something with so many legs wouldn’t cause a loss of traction). An infestation covering the tracks at Clarkson Station in WA, was cited as a possible reason why a passenger train failed to stop and crash into the back of another train.  The theory goes that the millipedes were crushed by the trains, and the ooze they left behind made the tracks super slippery.

2. Mayfly swarm causes head on crash in America

In 2012 a mayfly swarm in Minnesota caused a driver to lose vision and hit an oncoming car. The drivers reported that upon exiting the vehicle “the road was like ice” it was so slippery with all the squashed flies! City officials had to use a snow plow to clear the road of the flies which had piled to as high as 10 cm! Fortunately, only minor injuries were sustained (unless you were a mayfly!)

3. Surprise Spider #1

In 2016 in the north coast suburb of Lake Cathie, a man was driving to the local tip with produce of a spring clean. Instead of him dropping garbage off, a spider dropped on him. The man made a move for the brakes, but in his panicked state he pressed down onto the accelerator, causing him to drive off the road and into Lake Cathie. The car promptly sank. The driver struggled to get free of the rapidly sinking vehicle as the driver door wouldn’t open. Fortunately he was able to exit the vehicle through the window. The driver sustained minor injuries, but was otherwise unharmed. Sadly, divers were unable to retrieve the spider.

4. Surprise spider #2

In 2017 in the Blue Mountains, a spider fell onto a 65 year old male driver. The driver lost control of his vehicle, swerving into a car that then lost control and collided into another two vehicles. A total of 11 people were injured and treated by paramedics, with one person taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Photo By Jean Papillon

5.  Rats Chewing Causes Farmhouse Fire

A historic farm house in the UK burnt to the ground after Rats chewed through the electrical wiring causing it to short out and catch fire. 4 children in the house at the time had to flee, but fortunately the kids were safe. No word about the rats though.

BONUS NEAR MISS

This ones bizarre.  In 2013 a certain international car company that will remain nameless recalled some 800,000 vehicles because of spiders. Specifically, “ Their webs can create a blockage in a drainage tube coming from the air conditioning condenser. That can cause water to drip down onto an airbag control module, causing a short circuit. That, in turn, could cause the airbag warning light to light up on the dashboard and it could even cause the driver’s side airbag to deploy, something that happens with explosive force.”

In some cases, there could also be a loss of power-steering force, the company said. They also confirmed that it had three reported cases of air bags actually deploying and 35 cases of warning lights come on.

SUPER DOUBLE BONUS NEAR MISS

This sneaky rat, whilst not causing an accident, creates chaos by pulling the fire alarm of a building in Washington DC.  The entire building had to be evacuated. The rat was given a severe reprimand.

Have you got pests that want gone because they pose a safety risk? Flick can help! Whether it’s Car, House or your Backyard, Flick can treat and help protect you from unwanted and potentially dangerous pests. Give us a call today on 1300 270 019!