Officers from Oxley Police District are reminding people not to enter flooded rivers or creeks after a man was injured when his vehicle was swept away in the state's north-west yesterday.
About 10pm (Sunday 13 June 2021), emergency services were called Braymont Road, Boggabri, after a man's Mitsubishi Triton was swept from the Barbers Lagoon Causeway downstream, submerging the vehicle.
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.
"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 ute has yet to be recovered.
