A creepy crawly scare led a woman to jump out a moving van and crash her vehicle into a river.
The unidentified Georgia woman was backing her Kia van down a boat ramp to put her kayak in a river in Kingston on Sunday when she was started by a spider that was on her lap.
According to a Georgia State Patrol press release, the terrified woman jumped out of the vehicle without putting it into park.
The van then rolled into the Etowah River, floated downstream a few feet and became "totally submerged". It has not been spotted since, with a boater in the area trying to find it but failing.
Authorities have stated the woman's insurance company will try to get a dive team to locate and remove the van.
A GSP statement obtained by AJC read: "She stated that it floated downstream a few feet. And within seconds, it was totally submerged. A passerby in a boat attempted to locate the van, but without success."
The incident comes after police in Cairo, New York, issued a warning on Facebook in April when a woman crashed her car after she saw a spider while driving.
The Town of Cairo New York Police Department named arachnophobia a "contributing factor that is not covered too often" on Facebook after the unidentified woman destroyed her vehicle and suffered a leg injury.
"After investigating today's crash on Silver Spur Road we feel it necessary to bring up a contributing factor that is not covered too often," they wrote. "It is believed that the operator of the vehicle noticed a SPIDER in the drivers area with her as she was driving. The operator panicked and crashed suffering a leg injury from the crash." [sic]
The post continued: "We know that it is easier for some drivers than others but PLEASE, try to teach new drivers and yourselves to overcome the fear and pull over to a safe place. Lives depend on it."
