Wide Bay drivers continue to cross floodwaters | Video

A woman who witnessed another driver become submerged in flood waters has relived the “ridiculous” experience as more drivers continue to cross flooded Gympie, Fraser Coast and Bundaberg roads despite the death of one man.

Kenilworth woman Leala Holtrop was on her way to work at 6.30am Saturday when she witnessed a “ridiculous” choice.

The car in front of her was trying to cross a flooded bridge at Pioneer Park in Gheerulla, and the floodwaters were clearly winning.

“I knew immediately that the car wouldn’t make it,” she said.

“It got a few meters into the floodwater before it started floating sideways into the middle of the bridge and it turned around a bit before the movement stopped.”

She said when she realised what had happened she immediately called the police.

Brian Browning captured this photo of the car after became submerged in floodwaters at Gheerulla, following an attempt to cross a flooded bridge at Pioneer Park at 6,30am on Saturday morning.

“I couldn’t see the person in the car because I was parked about 100m back from the water,” she said.

Miss Holtrop could not confirm if there was more than one person in the car, but the driver remained inside the vehicle for a few hours before police arrived.

“The water wasn’t above the bonnet once it was floating so I wasn’t worried for their safety but they were waiting for the police for a long time,” she said.

“They were at other locations helping other cars get out.”

She said she was “amazed” the driver had attempted to cross the flooded bridge but felt calm while on the phone for help.

“It just looked very ridiculous that they made that decision,” she said.

Vicki Darby captured this image of a car stuck in flooding on the Gregory River in Bundaberg on Sunday morning.

It comes as a 22-year-old Sunshine Coast man died in flood waters at Kanigan on Friday night, and a 14-year-old girl remains missing after the car she was in was swept away at Booubyjan on Saturday morning.

A 40-year-old man travelling with the teenager was found clinging to a tree.

Authorities have pleaded with motorists during the unprecedented flooding to rethink their travel plans, and to remember “if it’s flooded, forget it”.

RACQ spokeswoman Lauren Ritchie said on Saturday residents should stay at home unless absolutely necessary.

“We haven’t seen a rain event quite like this before and the sheer amount has caused significant damage to the road network and we expect will cut hundreds of roads for several days,” Ms Ritchie said.

She said the amount of rain across the Wide Bay and Burnett regions was worse than tropical cyclone Yasi, which caused mass destruction across north Queensland between January 26 and February 3, 2011.

“Cyclone Yasi had between 200 to 300 millimetres of rain in the first 24 hours, this is nearly more than three times as much.

“We say it time and time again, but please, do not attempt to cross flood waters. There is no safe way to do it.

“It takes just 30 centimetres of water for a car to be washed off the road and we’ve had far more water than that fall in the area.”