A ute with a young man inside, that had missed a bridge in Wilsons Creek and landed in the creek, was reported to emergency services early yesterday morning (Thursday, 16 July).
Police, Ambulance, the Rural Fire Service (RFS), and Fire and Rescue all attended the scene.
‘The vehicle missed the newly built bridge at the tenth creek crossing on Wilsons Creek,’ said Wilsons Creek RFS Captain John Milford.
‘The occupant, who appeared to be a young man in his late teens, said he had had the accident at about 9.30pm the night before (Wednesday, 15 July) been trapped in the vehicle overnight.’
Emergency services had no difficulty opening the door to assist the man exit the vehicle. He was then treated at the scene by Ambulance NSW before being taken home by his parents.
‘Fire and Rescue placed a boom across the creek as there was a small oil leak. Fortunately the petrol tank didn’t rupture or the pollution could have been much worse,’ said Captain Milford.
The captain and two RFS volunteers who attended the scene cleared the sump oil out of the pools in the creek and also dug up the sand that had been contaminated to stop further pollution of the waterway.
‘It was challenging to get the ute out of the creek bed but eventually Steve Brown was able to lift the vehicle out with his excavator,’ Captain Milford told Echonetdaily.
Good advertisement for seat belts. The ute stopped dead, and with the design of modern vehicles the front wheels have moved back 18 inches and under the cabin of the ute. The engine also has gone downwards lifting the front of the vehicle upwards. Without seat belts the driver would have been propelled through the windscreen at an accelarated rate or his chest crushed on the steering wheel. He would have been killed.
Crystal ball Boris, is that you?