It was a beautiful Saturday morning. Erica Morris and her children were on their way to a birthday party in Brisbane when their world turned upside down.

The 25-year-old mother was travelling along a winding, dirt road in Woolgoona, Queensland, when she lost control of her car, sending it plunging into Running Creek.

“We flipped and we landed on our roof, straight into the water,” Ms Morris told Seven News.

Ms Morris and her eldest, Alexiah, managed to break free, but as the car rapidly filled with water, three-year-old Syndal remained trapped.

Three minutes passed. The water was still rising. Ms Morris had to act.

What followed next was a desperate rescue operation, in which the mother eventually managed to wrench her toddler’s limp body from the car.

“She was blue, she wasn’t breathing, she was completely lifeless,” Ms Morris said. “I had it in my head as I was walking to shore that I’ve just lost my little girl.”

via Channel 7.

Not knowing proper CPR, Ms Morris threw Sydnal over her shoulder and began striking her on the back in an attempt to drive the water from her lungs.

"We were halfway to the shore when she whimpered, and I swear to god it was the most amazing sound I ever heard," Ms Morris said.

Syndal spent the night recovering in hospital, but thankfully she, her sister and her mother have only scratches and bruises to show for their terrifying ordeal.

via Channel 7.

The investigation into the accident is ongoing.