Police probe bridge crash after driver’s chilling near-drowning experience

A driver and his passenger made a desperate escape after their car left the road next to a bridge on the Sunshine Coast and became fully submerged.

A driver and his passenger made a desperate escape after their car plunged off a bridge at Image Flat and became fully submerged. Photo: Patrick Woods.

A driver and his passenger have made a dramatic escape after their car left the road and ended up submerged in water next to a bridge at Image Flat, northwest of Nambour.

Emergency services were alerted to the incident on Wappa Dam Road at around 1040am on Sunday, though reports indicate the crash occurred around midnight.

A driver and his passenger made a desperate escape after their car plunged off a bridge at Image Flat and became fully submerged. Photo: Patrick Woods.

When emergency crews arrived, they were initially unable to locate anyone.

Shortly after they arrived, the driver of the vehicle, a 2007 Ford Falcon, returned to the scene and recounted his terrifying ordeal.

“We were driving along Wappa Dam Road, and just before the one-way bridge, we slid out into the gravel,” he said.

“The last thing I remember is we went over the bridge and we were underwater, trapped in the car.”

A driver and his passenger made a desperate escape after their car plunged off a bridge at Image Flat and became fully submerged. Photo: Patrick Woods.

The driver and his passenger were both reportedly wearing seatbelts when the vehicle hit the water.

“We were both stuck in the car and eventually got out … it was fully underwater. It went straight under,” he said.

With electric windows in the front, the pair were forced to escape through the back window.

“We were really panicking quite badly,” he admitted.

A driver and his passenger made a desperate escape after their car plunged off a bridge at Image Flat and became fully submerged. Photo: Patrick Woods.

The driver also claimed road conditions in the area were poor and recalled seeing another vehicle, a blue Commodore, submerged in the same spot a few months ago.

A Queensland Police Service spokeswoman said officers are investigating the cause of the crash.