Current:Home > MarketsTrapped in his crashed truck, an Indiana man is rescued after 6 days surviving on rainwater-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Trapped in his crashed truck, an Indiana man is rescued after 6 days surviving on rainwater
View Date:2024-12-23 18:40:50
PORTAGE, Ind. (AP) — A 27-year-old man survived for six days on only rainwater while pinned tightly inside his crashed pickup truck beneath a highway bridge in northwest Indiana, police said.
His ordeal ended when two men scouting for fishing spots on Tuesday afternoon noticed the badly damaged vehicle, its white airbag deployed, and reached inside.
“They touched the body, and the person turned their head and started talking to them. So, that got a little rise out of them,” Sgt. Glen Fifield of the Indiana State Police told local news outlets.
The truck went off Interstate 94 ahead of a bridge over Salt Creek, missing the guardrail and likely rolling several times before landing on the other side of the creek, hidden out of sight from the road above, Fifield said at a news conference.
Matthew R. Reum of Mishawaka, Indiana, was freed from the wreckage Tuesday evening by first responders working under bright floodlights, then airlifted to a hospital in South Bend with life-threatening injuries, Fifield said.
“He made it through the night. He is alive,” Fifield told The Associated Press, but said Reum remained in critical condition Wednesday morning.
Mario Garcia, one of the fishermen who found the wreck, said Reum was awake and “very happy to see us,” after being exposed to the elements since Dec. 20.
“It almost killed me there, because it was so shocking” to find him alive, Garcia said during a Tuesday news conference in the nearby city of Portage, The Times of Northwest Indiana reported.
Garcia, of Hobart, said Reum told them he had screamed and yelled for help, but only heard the “quiet sound of water.”
Reum told them his cell phone had fallen out of reach and his body was trapped, preventing him from calling for aid.
Fifield said Reum hadn’t been reported missing. He said Reum drank rain water to survive his ordeal.
“Had it not been for the two individuals that were walking the creek this afternoon, this incident more than likely would have had a different outcome,” Fifield said in a news release. Reum’s “will to survive this crash was nothing short of extraordinary.”
veryGood! (98)
Related
- Repair Hair Damage In Just 90 Seconds With This Hack from WNBA Star Kamilla Cardoso
- Bob Woodruff returns to Iraq roadside where bomb nearly killed him 17 years ago
- When Caleb Williams cried after USC loss, what did you see? There's only one right answer.
- With Chiefs on bye week, could Travis Kelce go see Taylor Swift as Eras Tour resumes?
- Saving for retirement? How to account for Social Security benefits
- Supreme Court justice sues over Ohio law requiring certain judicial candidates to use party labels
- Watch Bachelor in Paradise's Eliza Isichei Approach Aaron Bryant About His Ex-Girlfriend Drama
- How did AFC North – with four playoff contenders – become NFL's most cutthroat division?
- Powerball winning numbers for Nov. 9 drawing: Jackpot rises to $92 million
- Former Green Bay Packers safety Aaron Rouse wins election in Virginia Senate race
Ranking
- Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says next year will be his last in office; mum on his plans afterward
- Florida woman wins $5 million from state lottery's scratch off game
- Three Michigan school board members lose recall battles over retired mascot
- New Barbie doll honors Wilma Mankiller, the first female Cherokee principal chief
- Jake Paul's only loss led him to retool the team preparing him to face Mike Tyson
- Three Michigan school board members lose recall battles over retired mascot
- Pacific leaders to meet on beautiful island to discuss climate change and other regional concerns
- Witnesses: small plane that crashed last month in Arizona, killing all 3 aboard, may have stalled
Recommendation
-
RHOBH's Kyle Richards Shares Reaction to BFF Teddi Mellencamp's Divorce
-
Las Vegas hotel workers union reaches tentative deal with Caesars, but threat of strike still looms
-
When Caleb Williams cried after USC loss, what did you see? There's only one right answer.
-
Caravan of 3,000 migrants blocks highway in southern Mexico
-
The NBA Cup is here. We ranked the best group stage games each night
-
'The Marvels' release date, cast, trailer: What to know about new 'Captain Marvel' movie
-
Colorado funeral home owners arrested following the discovery of 189 decaying bodies
-
Soccer Star Neymar’s Girlfriend Bruna Biancardi Speaks Out After Invasion at Family Home