What's worse than being stranded? Being swept away by a flood? What's worse than that? Did someone say crocodile-infested floodwaters? An Australian couple had to survive for days in floodwaters infested with the deadly reptile.
Somehow, they miraculously survived. The couple, both in their 50s, found themselves fighting for survival when a flood swept away their 4WD. They had been traveling to Kowanyama when the accident occurred. After spending three days and two nights out there, the couple thought they were going to die in the outback.
LifeFlight pilot Michael Adair said, "These people had resigned themselves to dying and seeing the look on their faces when they saw us and realised they weren't going to die - that's the reason we do this."
The couple had been driving with their two dogs and trying to cross Clark Creek. That's when floodwaters washed away their 4WD. Although the couple and dogs managed to flee, it swept away their only means of escape. For three days, the four of them survived on muddy river water while battling the elements.
Floodwaters Strand Couple
Flood waters prevented rescue from searching for them on land. Fortunately, a LifeFlight helicopter spotted their SOS they wrote into the dirt. The couple were very grateful to be saved.
"They said 'Thank God you're here, we didn't think anyone was coming'," Adair said. "The wife told us she had been hearing voices in the bush from exposure and had convinced herself that nobody was coming to help them, so she was very emotional when we hugged her."
According to the couple, a crocodile also stalked them out there. They tried to make a makeshift shelter to protect themselves from the reptile.
Co-pilot Mark Overton also weighed in on the rescue.
"Mike is used to flying in a completely different environment and we've thrown him into the middle of the outback and on his first job he's been sent to the middle of nowhere,"he said of Mike who is from New Zealand. "The distance we had to travel to get from Mt Isa to north of Normanton up near Kowanyama was very, very vast and just the difference between New Zealand and Australia was huge. He was a bit taken aback by just how big Australia can be."
Adair also added, "I was looking down and seeing all sorts of Australian animals - kangaroos, and cattle and crocs. I have been in the rescue industry for five years back home in New Zealand but it was just wonderful to have that as my first experience of rescue helicopter operations in Australia. Not only a really technically challenging mission, but one with a perfect outcome. It was an amazing start to my Australian rescue career."
