General News
12 August, 2021
Lucky escape for man in floodwater
A LOCAL man had a lucky escape after his vehicle was swept off a flooded road in Cobrico last week, with Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES) volunteers conducting a swift water rescue to get the man back on solid ground.
A LOCAL man had a lucky escape after his vehicle was swept off a flooded road in Cobrico last week, with Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES) volunteers conducting a swift water rescue to get the man back on solid ground.
The incident occurred last Thursday night on Bend Road after Mount Emu Creek broke its banks near the intersection with Roycrofts Road.
The 42-year-old driver, who spoke with Western District Newspapers on the condition his name not be published, said he was not travelling along his normal route home from work.
“I’d had a long day and a long week,” he said.
“I was a bit tired, and with lockdowns I should have been home by 8pm.
“I was just following my GPS and notthinking.”
The man said he had not knowingly tried to drive through flood waters, but became complacent as water across the road became incrementally worse.
“From the direction I was travelling there was just a few puddles, so I was thinking this isn’t great, why have I come down this road, but from that direction it wasn’t too bad,”he said.
“It got to a point where I could see moving water across the road, and I didn’t know how deep it was.
“I was thinking I probably shouldn’t drive across this but thought it’s probably fine as long as I keep moving.”
The man said there was no road signs warning the road had become flooded, and the severity of the flooding had become difficult to gauge in the dark.
“Had I thought about it I wouldn’t have entered at all, but I thought it was just that little bit of water coming across the road,” he said.
“I thought once I get past this little section, I’ll be across the road.
“It was dark, I couldn’t see what was happening and I couldn’t see where the road was anymore.”
The man said the current quickly “took the front wheels” and the car began drifting off the road.
“I started to panic a bit. I didn’t know what to do and I didn’t really do anything until the car hit a tree and turned around, where it luckily found higher ground and stopped,” he said.
“But then water was starting to come in and I tried to open the door at that stage, but the door wouldn’t open.
“Luckily, I thought to open a window and they still opened at that point, because another few minutes and I don’t think they would have opened.
“So I was able to climb out on to the roof and contact Triple Zero.”
VICSES volunteers from the South West region used a rescue boat from the VICSES Camperdown unit to successfully navigate through dangerous conditions and retrieve the individual safely from the roof of the vehicle, after water had come up to the vehicles windows.
A number of units were in attendance, which included the VICSES Terang, Cobden and Camperdown units, as well as a specialist land based swift water rescue (LBSWR) team from Warrnambool.
The rescue was undertaken by the rescue boat crew, with the support of the land based swift water team.
The teams worked together with local Victoria Police and Country Fire Authority members to successfully rescue the man and return him to safety without injury.
VICSES operations manager Andrew Murton said emergency services volunteers had done an “incredible job”.
“They worked through the night in cold and dangerous conditions with minimal light to assist,” he said.
“I’m extremely proud of how well our rescue crews worked together to achieve this fantastic outcome.
“This exactly what our volunteers train for. They are highly experienced and capable for these types of rescues, and I am thrilled with the result.”
Mr Murton said the incident was a timely reminder to never drive through flood water.
“The risk is too great; it can take just 15cms of water for a small vehicle to float,” he said.
“If it’s flooded, forget it.”
