Austrian driver critically injured swatting spider

A driver who swatted at a spider inside his car hit an embankment and flipped the vehicle over, critically injuring himself, police in Austria said today.

The victim was airlifted by helicopter to a hospital in the southern province of Carinthia after firefighters cut him free from the wreckage of the crash, authorities said.

They said he told police he was trying to get a spider off his face when he lost control of the vehicle.

The extent of his injuries was not immediately known.