You never quite expect a routine weather assignment to turn into a life-or-death rescue mission. When heavy downpours lash through regional towns, media crews usually stand back on dry asphalt to capture footage of rising creeks. But last Thursday in the Queensland town of Morayfield, Australian Broadcasting Corporation reporter Will Murray ripped up that script completely.
About 170mm of rain had hammered the area in a matter of hours, turning local streets into rushing torrents. While reporting live on the severe weather conditions north of Brisbane, Murray watched in real time as a driver attempted to steer a four-wheel-drive vehicle through deep, murky floodwaters.
It was a terrible miscalculation. The car stalled instantly, losing traction as the heavy currents gripped the chassis and began dragging it under.
Seconds count when water swallows a vehicle cabin. Without waiting for emergency services to arrive, Murray and an anonymous bystander sprinted toward the hazard, kicked off any heavy gear, and swam straight into the dangerous current.
The Split Second That Mattered
Water pressure is the silent killer in vehicle submersions. Once a car enters water past its floorboards, the doors become almost impossible to push open from the inside because of exterior water pressure. As the cabin fills, electrical systems fail, leaving trapped motorists with seconds to react before carbon dioxide buildup and panic take over.
Murray and his co-rescuer reached the sinking ute just as the water level surged near the windows. Working together against the swirling current, they managed to wrench the door open and pull the panicked driver free.
Moments later, the vehicle vanished completely beneath the brown surge.
ABC camera operator Liz Pickering, who captured the terrifying ordeal on film, stated bluntly that the pair unequivocally saved the driver's life. There was no hesitation, no waiting for protocol, and no safety net.
What Drivers Keep Getting Wrong About Floodwaters
Every storm season, public safety announcements preach the exact same slogan: Turn Around, Don't Drown. Yet drivers continuously risk crossing flooded roads.
People fundamentally misunderstand how little water it takes to sweep a vehicle away. Just 15 centimeters (6 inches) of moving water can reach the bottom of most passenger cars, causing loss of control or stalling. Only 30 centimeters (12 inches) of rushing water can float most SUVs and pickup trucks, turning a heavy machine into an unsteerable boat at the mercy of the current.
When your car stalls in rising water, your immediate instinct might be to restart the engine and gun it. Don't. Doing so forces water into the engine cylinders, causing catastrophic hydro-locking that destroys the motor instantly and strips you of power steering and electrical windows.
How to Survive a Submerging Vehicle
If you ever find yourself trapped in a sinking car, survival demands immediate, counterintuitive action:
- Drop the windows immediately. Do not wait for the car to sink. If electrical power fails, modern side windows are extremely tough to break without a specialized window punch tool.
- Unbuckle children first. If you have kids in the backseat, secure their releases before worrying about yourself.
- Climb out the window. If the doors are jammed shut due to water pressure, do not fight them. Wait for water to flood the cabin partially so the pressure equalizes, then push the door open, or escape through the open window frame.
- Get onto the roof. If you cannot swim to shore safely, scramble onto the roof of the vehicle to make yourself visible to rescuers and avoid being swept downstream.
Will Murray and his fellow bystander managed a miraculous intervention in Morayfield, but relying on reporters or random passersby to pull you from a sinking cab is a terrible strategy. Respect the water, stay off flooded roads, and remember that no destination is worth testing the limits of a rushing torrent.
Australian TV reporter rescues man from sinking car
This video captures the dramatic news broadcast footage of the actual rescue incident in Morayfield.
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