A 50-year-old man has had a lucky escape after his vehicle was swept away in flood waters in the NSW north-west yesterday.
Officers from Oxley Police District are today reminding people not to enter flooded rivers or creeks in the area.
“About 10pm [on Sunday], emergency services were called Braymont Road, Boggabri, after a man’s Mitsubishi Triton was swept from the Barbers Lagoon Causeway downstream, submerging the vehicle,” NSW Police said in a statement.
“The 50-year-old driver managed to free himself and swim to the riverbank downstream before seeking help from nearby residents who came to his aid.”
He was treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics for a fractured foot and internal injuries then taken to Boggabri Hospital in a stable condition; he was later airlifted to Tamworth Base Hospital where he remains.
Oxley Police District Inspector Robert Dunn, said motorists should never drive, ride or walk through floodwaters, even if it’s no longer raining.
“We’ve had almost 50mm of rain fall across the shire this week and Mount Kaputar received significant snow fall, with all that water now traveling from those elevated areas downstream, impacting several rivers and waterways in the area,” he said.
“This driver is extremely lucky that he was able to free himself before his ute was submerged in almost 2m of water.
“If there is heavy rain ahead, or the roadway is flooded, find another way to your destination.”
The man’s ute has yet to be recovered.
