The final horrifying minutes endured by a motorist who drowned in his car have been revealed.
The man drowned at Cattai Ridge Rd in Glenorie, in Sydney’s north west on Wednesday morning, however his body was not retrieved until later that day.
Emergency services spent 39 minutes on the phone with the man, 25, as his car sank near Hidden Valley Lane.
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He called triple-zero at 6.25am Wednesday morning and the phone operator lost contact with him at 7.04am.
Police rushed to the area but by the time they arrived, his car had sunk and there was no sign of him.
Divers found the car 6m underwater, and 30m from the edge of the road at about 1.30pm.
“Had he not rung us, we never would have found him,” Detective Inspector Chris Laird told media on Wednesday afternoon. “Not until the water receded anyway.”
The man was a Pakistani national starting his first day at a new company in a contracting role.
He wasn’t a local to the area, police believe, so was unfamiliar with the roads.
It was dark, so police believe he didn’t see the water on the road until it was too late.
The man was unable to escape his hire car, which was a brand new Toyota Corolla.
“We can only speculate as to why he couldn’t get out of the car. Initial examination showed he made all reasonable attempts,” Laird said.
“You can only imagine someone fighting for his life in the car, the damage inside.”
The man was unable to smash through any of the windows.
It’s believed an electronic failure, due to the flood damage, stopped the doors or windows from being opened.
The newness of the car will form part of the police’s inquiries in the coronial investigation, looking at whether its newness made it harder to escape the vehicle.
A gate had blocked the road to the general public, but this was underwater and not visible to passing drivers.
Signposting will also form part of the inquiry - including whether more could have been done.
Police indicated the man was frantic during his 39 minute conversation with an emergency services operator.
“I’ve seen transcripts of it (the triple-zero call). What more can you say? A man that is possibly about to pass away and he’s on the phone and the water’s rising,” Laird said.
Police used SES fast rescue boats with a sonar system and a helicopter but were unable to reach the man in time.
He has no family in Australia.
Friends indicated they were worried about him - including his flatmate, which is how police believe they know the identity of the man.
The police inspector used this as a warning not to drive through water in flooded areas.
“In hindsight it’s easy to say it could be avoided,” Laird said.
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