On Thursday (October 22), a thrilling scene unfolded in Queensland, Australia. A four-wheel drive pickup truck drove into floodwaters, suddenly stalled, and drifted away with the current, gradually sinking into the water. A television reporter who happened to be nearby immediately jumped into the floodwaters, joined forces with a local resident to open the car door, and rescue the trapped driver. The entire process was captured by a photographer.
The incident took place in Morayfield, north of Brisbane, as reported by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). At the time, ABC reporter Will Murray and photographer Liz Pickering were on the scene documenting the flood situation when a four-wheel drive vehicle drove into the flooded section of road.
The vehicle quickly stalled and was swept away by the water. Murray immediately called for emergency assistance, but within a few seconds, he could no longer see the driver inside the car. Watching the car sink further, he handed the phone to the photographer and jumped into the water himself. Nearby resident Daniel Hainey also rushed to help.
The two swam to the car and tried to open the door, but were unsuccessful. They then climbed onto the back of the car, preparing to break the rear window. Murray then attempted to open the door on the rear passenger side, bracing his feet against the car body and pulling with all his strength until the door finally opened.
The driver then moved towards the open door, and together they pulled him out of the car and brought him to shallower waters. Just as the three had narrowly escaped, the car sank almost completely into the water.
From the moment the car entered the floodwaters to the driver being unable to escape on his own, only about 20 to 30 seconds had passed.
Looking back, Murray recalled that the speed at which the car sank was frightening. After successfully rescuing the driver, the three individuals embraced each other. Approximately 10 minutes later, emergency rescue personnel arrived on the scene.
According to Murray, the rescued driver mentioned that he did not see any warning signs and was unaware of how deep the floodwaters were. Murray noted that from the shore, the water didn’t seem particularly deep, but the car ultimately completely submerged.
On that day, southeastern Queensland was hit by heavy rain, with Morayfield recording approximately 170 millimeters of rainfall since the morning, leading to several roads being flooded and some schools being closed. Local fire department officials reminded the public not to drive through flooded roads.