A 34-year-old man from Southern Downs, Brisbane, endured a harrowing experience after becoming trapped in a storm drain for 36 hours.
The man fell into the drain while attempting to retrieve his phone and remained lost within the city's underground network over the weekend.
A local resident, James Lingwood, jogging past the storm drain on Sunday, became the first aware of the man's situation.
Mr. Lingwood heard the man "sort of half yelling" on the phone and offered assistance, but the man declined, insisting he could find his own way out.
Despite the man appearing knee-deep in water, Mr. Lingwood left him alone upon the man's assurance.
Lingwood, unsure of the situation's severity at the time, decided to act on Monday morning after hearing heavy breathing, suggesting the man might be in distress. He contacted emergency services.
He emerged from the drain and attracted help from a nearby resident and an employee of a building in the vicinity.
Firefighters were able to cut through the drain and pull the man to safety. He was transported to the Mater Hospital for treatment of hypothermia, cuts, and abrasions.
The employee described the man as "running around everywhere down there" and unsure of his ability to stand upon rescue.
The man recounted surviving on rainwater and spending most of his time crawling through the drain. He described enduring partial submersion in water for much of the 36-hour ordeal and navigating surges of stormwater while searching for an exit.
