By ASHLEY NICKEL, NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA
Published: | Updated:
A TV reporter covering a flood in southeast Queensland swam through rushing water to rescue a trapped motorist alongside another witness.
Cameras caught the moment ABC reporter Will Murray and another man jumped into the water and swam to a submerged ute on Thursday.
The car had driven into floodwater at speed on Buchanan Road in Morayfield, north of Brisbane, but stalled and began to sink.
Murray was covering the weather event, with 170 millimetres of rain falling in three hours, when he saw the sinking vehicle.
He and another man swam out to the single-cab ute and began struggling with the passenger-side door.
However, the door wouldn't budge.
Just moments before the car's roof slipped below the surface, the pair managed to crack open the driver-side door enough for the male driver to get out.
The trio hugged in the water before swimming to the dry road.
ABC reporter Will Murray and another man rescued a man from a sinking ute (above) north of Brisbane on Thursday
The driver had missed signs warning the road was flooded and his vehicle (above) stalled and began to sink
'All three of us gave each other a big hug and were just so relieved,' Murray said.
'It was very scary, but happy everyone is safe and relieved it is okay.
'I just witnessed how quickly it can go south and it is terrifying. Please don't drive into floodwaters.'
Murray's crew had called Triple-0 during the chaos and emergency services arrived to assist 10 minutes after the dramatic rescue.
The driver said he hadn't seen a sign warning the road was flooded and didn't expect the water to be so deep.
When Murray was praised for the heroic act, he highlighted his adrenaline was 'very, very high' even hours after the rescue and praised emergency services who 'do this regularly'.
Several areas around Moreton Bay saw heavy flooding on Thursday following heavy rainfall overnight.
The local council has issued a 'prepare to leave' notice for those in Burpengary and Burpengary East due to ongoing flooding.
The two men managed to pry open the drivers-side door enough for the male driver to escape the sinking car (above)
All three men managed to swim back to safety after the dramatic rescue
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Dozens of roads, as well as Morayfield State High School, were closed due to floods.
The worst of the rain was forecast to ease late Thursday but showers were likely to continue into the weekend.
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