When television news reporters are on the scene of a breaking story, they’re typically there to observe and report what they see.
A reporter for Australia’s ABC network, however, flipped the script when he wound up becoming the story.
A Dangerous Flood
As ABC News reported, an ABC reporter was on the scene to cover a flash flood north of Brisbane when he observed a driver trapped within a vehicle that was sinking into floodwater.
Per the report, the driver attempted to speed his four-wheel-drive through a flooded patch, only for the engine to stall, at which point the car began sinking.
ABC reporter Will Murray was joined by a bystander, Daniel Hainey, with the two men swimming out to the car. Working together, they were able to pull the driver out of the vehicle.
Rapidly Rising Water
After a hot shower and a meal, Murray said he felt relief that they were able to rescue the driver and bring him to safety.
“I saw him drive in and immediately his car started floating downstream so I rang Triple Zero,” he said, referencing the Australian equivalent of a 911 call.
“On the phone the operator asked me if I could see the driver and if I thought he could get free,” Murray continued.
“Initially I could see him, but he disappeared from my sight within seconds so I made the call to jump in,” he added.
Recalling what happened next, Murray said that he handed the phone to his colleague, camera operator Liz Pickering, and immediately began swimming toward the car as it sank deeper into the floodwater.
“When we got to the car we tried to open the closest door, no luck, then got on the back of the car with the thought to break the back window,” Murray explained
“I thought to try the passenger side rear door first and put my feet against the car and pulled as hard as I could and with some luck the door swung open,” he added. “I think water rushing in helped create some pressure to force the door open.”
Once they were able to force the door open, the driver was able to make his way to that side of the vehicle so that he could be pulled out of the vehicle and taken into shallower waters before the car vanished underwater.
“All three of us gave each other a big hug and were just so relieved,” Murray recalled.
A ‘Very Scary’ Situation
“It was very scary, but happy everyone is safe and relieved it is OK,” Murray said, adding a warning to anyone who might find themselves in a similar situation. “I just witnessed how quickly it can go south and it is terrifying,” he said. “Please don’t drive into floodwaters.”
Hainey, who assisted Murray in the rescue attempt, didn’t realize there was someone inside the car until he noticed the window moving.
“The car began to slowly sink deeper and deeper, and that’s when I thought, ‘Oh no, this is not looking good’, so I started swimming in there,” he said, describing the driver “very lucky.”
For his part, Murray offered praise to first responders and those who save people from life-threatening situations on a daily basis.
“The adrenaline is still very, very high,” the reporter said. “I don’t know how people do this regularly.”
Australian News Reporter Rescues Man Trapped in Sinking Car While Covering Flood