Flood rescue prompts police warning A 68-YEAR-OLD man's narrow escape from his rapidly submerging ute in NSW's Northern Rivers region has prompted police to repeat warnings to motorists not to drive into floodwaters. Police said that at about 6am (AEDT) on Saturday the man ignored signs warning of water over a causeway at Ellangowan, 20km south of Casino, and drove his utility in, flooding the vehicle up to the bonnet. The force of the water pushed the ute off the causeway and it began to float downstream. Police said the man managed to get out moments before the ute submerged and he was swept about 100 metres downstream before he managed to grab a tree. At about 8.30am a passerby heard his cries for help and called a nearby resident, who waded towards the man but wasn't able to reach him because of the current. Police and Casino Volunteer Rescue Association officers were called and conducted a swift water rescue of the man who was treated for mild hypothermia before being taken to hospital. The rescue came only hours before the body of a man was found in his submerged car on a flooded road at Mylneford, about 20km northwest of Grafton on the NSW north coast. That death prompted a warning to motorists from Deputy State Emergency Operations Controller, Assistant Commissioner Alan Clarke, and he repeated the warning after learning of the Ellangowan rescue. "Roads are closed for a very good reason - they are flooded and dangerous," he said in a statement. We are again appealing for motorists and members of the public to never enter floodwaters or cross flooded causeways. It is dangerous for them and for those who have to rescue them.