Even more bizarre news with a damned amusing quote as a kicker :

One person was killed and five others injured after a rat caused a car crash in Miami Sunday night, authorities said.

The bizarre incident happened just after midnight in the area of North Miami Avenue and 29th Street when the rat caused an explosion that knocked out street lights at the intersection.

“Believe it or not, a rat was at the top of one of the light poles…and chewed through one of the fusible links at the top of the pole, this caused the street lights to go out,” said Capt. Joseph Zahralban, with the City of Miami Fire Rescue.

Zahralban said a group of people from a nearby bar went to investigate what caused the explosion and were standing on the sidewalk when two cars collided because the lights were out.

“As they were looking at the rat, two vehicles approached the intersection…these vehicles collided and unfortunately hit some of the pedestrians,” Zahralban said.

One person died at the scene. Five others were rushed to nearby hospitals. They are in stable to serious condition, Zahralban said.

Frank Negron said he went to investigate the explosion and was shocked at what he saw.

“I saw the explosion and all the lights went out,” said Negron. “We were trying to figure out what was the cause of the explosion and then someone said ‘there’s a dead rat here on the floor’ and sure enough it was smoking.“

Smoking rats killing motorists and pedestrians has got to be a first in the mammal world but it was obviously just trying to catch up with the molluscs :

Katie Dagley, 19, was driving home from work when she approached a single lane bridge controlled by lights that had malfunctioned just 20 minutes earlier.

She drove her Ford Ka onto the bridge and collided with an oncoming Fiat Punto.

The teenager, who had dreamed of becoming a chef, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Senior police investigator Andy Stevens told an inquest into her death that he had carried out a detailed examination of the scene in Alvecote, near Tamworth, West Mids, and confirmed that the traffic light fault was caused by a trail left by a slug or a snail.

So, molluscs 1, mammals 1 – who will strike next I wonder?