THE thought that they could die crossed Robert and Bonnie Young’s minds more than once as they came perilously close to being washed away in floodwater on Sunday night.
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But quick action by emergency services averted such a tragedy after the couple’s 4WD stalled at a low-level crossing on Pejar Rd, northwest of Goulburn.
“We are absolutely lucky,” Mr Young said yesterday.
“We thought we could have died but we stayed firm when we knew help was coming.”
The couple were travelling to friends’ home for dinner on Sunday evening and were 12km from their Crookwell Rd property when trouble struck. Travelling along Pejar Rd they crossed two small waterways in the road before coming to the third.
“It looked like there was a bit more water in that one and I had to make a split-second decision,” Mr Young said.
“But I knew there were concrete slabs underneath and we had been over there many times before.”
As they crossed, the car stalled.
Unable to re-start the vehicle, the Youngs tried to ring their friends only to find their Telstra mobile was in a black spot.
It was another 40 minutes before they finally got through on triple zero. Meantime, water was rising at a rapid rate. It was lapping at the vehicle’s windows, which couldn’t be opened because the car had shutdown.
“We had to move to the back of the car because water was building up,” Mr Young said.
“Bon pulled the headrests from the back seats so we could sit up higher. It was getting colder and colder and our feet were getting numb…I thought we could die because the water was rising to around our backsides.”
Mr Young thought briefly about getting out and swimming but discounted this after seeing the strong currents. All the while he was worried the car could be washed away.
He said they tried to stay calm knowing that help was on the way.
Then, what seemed like “half of Goulburn” turned up at about 7.15pm. The State Emergency Service arrived with a flood boat, accompanied by ambulance and police.
Some 11 SES personnel from Goulburn and Crookwell, including four ‘swift water technicians’ rescued the pair over the next 20 minutes using the flood boat.
“We were just so relieved,” Mr Young said.
“They put us in an ambulance and it took us 15 minutes to stop shivering.”
The couple were taken to Crookwell Hospital, underwent testing and stayed overnight before being released on Monday.
They’re eternally grateful to the SES, emergency personnel and Crookwell Hospital staff, describing them as magnificent and extremely professional.
SES volunteers had talked to them and kept them calm before the rescue.
“It was such a traumatic thing,” Mrs Young said.
The car was retrieved on Monday.
The couple had checked rainfall in the area before they left their home on Sunday but Mr Young said he hadn’t realised there had been another downpour.
Goulburn SES controller Robert Bell said the area had received some 50 to 60mm.
“There are a whole lot of little crossings around there where it doesn’t take much for water to come up and with no communication, people can get washed away pretty easily,” he said.
“They were very lucky. It could have been a whole different scenario.”
The SES has renewed its warnings to people not to cross flooded crossings. Mr Bell said the golden rule was that if water was up to axles, motorists shouldn’t take the risk.
Mr Young said he wouldn’t be using the unsealed road again in such conditions but told the Post the crossing needed a bridge. Yesterday, Pejar Rd was still closed due to flood waters.