March 9, 2026
Rescuers have safely retrieved a man in his early 30s who was stranded on the roof of his flooded vehicle at Booubyjan for at least four hours on Monday morning.
Emergency services were alerted to the incident about 6:30am.
A police spokesperson said a rescue helicopter and PolAir were called to assist but both were grounded due to worsening weather conditions.
At 10:25am, a Queensland Fire Department spokesperson said rescuers had deployed swift water boats in an attempt to reach the driver but were still trying to get access because of the amount of floodwaters in the area.
At 10:45am, swift water crews in a motorised boat successfully reached the man and brought him back to dry land where he was assessed by QAS paramedics.
A QAS spokesperson said the man declined transport to hospital.
The emergency occurred on the Boonara Creek Bridge near the intersection of Murgon-Gayndah Road and the Burnett Highway.
Video posted on social media about 8:30am showed the man on the roof of his vehicle surrounded by fast-flowing water.
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Emergency services were kept busy with a number of other incidents overnight and on Monday.
About 10:35pm on Sunday, rescuers assisted a person and three dogs to safety after their vehicle became stuck in water near the intersection of Borcherts Hill Road and Cherbourg Road at Murgon.
Earlier, emergency crews were called just after 8:00pm after a vehicle became stranded on the Burnett Highway at Goomeri, however the driver managed to get out safely by themselves.
At 6:50am on Monday, fire crews were called to check a vehicle found abandoned at Ellesmere, but no one was present.
About 2:30pm, emergency services were called to Friebergs Road at Byee after reports of a motorist on the roof of a vehicle stuck in floodwaters.
A QFD spokesperson said the women managed to get to dryland without assistance, however her vehicle remained trapped.
About 10 minutes later, rescue crews were called to River Road at Inverlaw after reports a driver was trapped inside their vehicle.
However, this driver also made it to safety by themselves although their vehicle remained stuck in the water.
Emergency services were also called on Monday to a number of locations in the South Burnett to assist QAS paramedics on medical-related matters.
[UPDATED: Published originally as “Driver Stranded On Roof”]
