A 27-year-old man survived for six days on only rainwater after his pickup truck crashed under a bridge in northwest Indiana, police reported.
The man, Matthew R. Reum, was trapped inside the wrecked truck, which went off the road and landed on the other side of a creek, out of sight from the highway. Two men looking for fishing spots discovered the damaged vehicle and found Reum inside when they reached in and heard him talk.
The truck had rolled several times before coming to a stop, and Reum, from Mishawaka, Indiana, suffered life-threatening injuries. He was rescued by first responders and taken to a hospital in South Bend.
Despite being in critical condition, Reum survived the night and was grateful for the support he received.
South Bend Memorial Hospital released a statement on Reum’s behalf thanking people for their support and well wishes, “including the good Samaritans who found him, the first responders and his caregivers.”
“No matter how tough things get, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, sometimes in the least expected way,” Reum said in the statement.
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 rainwater 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 statement. Reum’s “will to survive this crash was nothing short of extraordinary.”
