A 50-YEAR-OLD man has been airlifted to hospital after he was washed off a Boggabri causeway by floodwater late on Sunday night.
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Emergency services rushed to Braymont Road at Boggabri after reports a ute had been swept off the flooded causeway about 10pm.
The Mitsubishi Triton ute was submerged by water almost 2m deep but the driver managed to escape and swim to a riverbank downstream, according to NSW Police.
Nearby residents rushed to the aid of the 50-year-old driver.
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He was treated by ambulance paramedics at the scene for a fractured foot and internal injuries, police said.
The driver was rushed to Boggabri hospital and was then airlifted by the Westpac rescue helicopter to Tamworth hospital early on Monday morning.
It is understood the man was in a stable condition when he was flown to Tamworth hospital.
Oxley police Inspector Robert Dunn said people should never drive, ride or walk through floodwaters, even if it's no longer raining.
"We've had almost 50mm of rain fall across the shire this week and Mount Kaputar received significant snow fall, with all that water now traveling from those elevated areas downstream, impacting several rivers and waterways in the area," he said.
"This driver is extremely lucky that he was able to free himself before his ute was submerged in almost 2m of water."
The ute was still stranded in the Barbers Lagoon area on Monday morning and had not yet been recovered.
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