The ABC journalist was reporting on heavy rain in south-east Queensland when he saw a 4WD attempt to cross Buchanan Road. The vehicle stalled and began to float downstream. Murray and camera operator Liz Pickering had just arrived to film the flooded road when a man in a black ute drove past them into the water.
"His car almost immediately started floating and drifting down the creek," Murray said. He called emergency services but could see the ute would soon be submerged.
"This guy didn't seem to be able to get out of the car, so myself and another man made the decision to jump in and get over to him to see if we could open the door," Murray said. He said the water was not difficult to swim through and there was no heavy current.
When they reached the vehicle, the driver's side door would not open. "We could see he was struggling, the water was very high. I went around the other side and managed to put my feet up against the side of the car and we dragged him out," Murray said. "His car just disappeared within a couple of minutes of getting out. You could no longer see the car – completely vanished."
The rescued man spoke to paramedics and police at the scene but was not taken to hospital. The Bureau of Meteorology recorded 249 millimetres of rain in Morayfield in the 24 hours to midday Thursday.
In a statement, the ABC said: "Will showed great courage and initiative. We are pleased to confirm he is safe and well."