Two fishermen found the wreckage of a pickup vehicle on Tuesday, December 26, 2023, allowing them to free a guy who had been stuck in the overturned car for many days, according to Indiana State Police. As per reports from The Associated Press, Sgt. Glen Fifield informed the local news agencies that the two men were looking for fishing spots when they discovered the trapped man in his severely damaged truck.
Authorities in Indiana referred to the man's survival as a "miracle" after his vehicle got off the road and came to a stop beneath an Interstate 94 bridge.
“They touched the body, and the person turned their head and started talking to them. So, that got a little rise out of them,” Fifield said, addressing the incident."
As per Fox 59, the man, later identified as Matthew Reum, was stuck under a bridge for several days along Interstate 94 in Northwest Indiana. He was later rescued at 3:45 pm on Tuesday by emergency personnel.
Matthew Reum of Indiana has been rescued and was taken to a hospital
Nivardo Delatorre and his father-in-law Mario Garcia saw the partially submerged car while strolling close to the creek, according to Indiana State Police. One of the men went to look inside after noticing the car's shine through the woods area and discovered a man's body there.
When one of the men peered into the car, he spotted the man and assumed he had passed away. However, when they touched him, the trapped man, later identified as Reum, answered. He further informed the fishermen that he had a car accident on Wednesday, December 20, and had been stuck in the vehicle ever since. He was also unable to get to his cell phone to call for assistance.
Stating the same, Garcia said at a news conference that was broadcast on ABC 7 Chicago,
“I went to touch it and he turned around. And it almost killed me there because it was kind of shocking.”
He further said,
“He was alive and he was very happy to see us, like he was really — I’ve never seen a relief like that. He says that he tried yelling and screaming, but nobody would hear him. It just was quiet, just the sound of the water.”
The two individuals then dialed 911 and remained at his side until emergency personnel arrived. The 27-year-old Reum was then hurriedly saved from the vehicle by the first responders at approximately 3:45 pm. He was then rescued by a medical chopper, which took him to the South Bend hospital to receive treatment for potentially fatal wounds.
According to Fox 59, Fifield reportedly stated during a press conference on Tuesday, December 26, that the pickup had crashed beneath an underpass beneath Interstate 94 near Portage. As per the same sources, officers also stated that the way the incident happened obscured the vehicle from onlookers' views.
He then added,
“Quite frankly, it’s a miracle that he’s alive. In this weather, we’ve been lucky enough here this Christmas season, that our temperatures have been, as you all know, above normal. So that was working in this individual’s favor”.
However, according to Fifield, no one had reported him missing.
Republic World reported that due to the difficult terrain and the way Reum was trapped inside the damaged car, the rescue effort took many hours.
Police also stated that there had been no reports of crashes in the region for the previous week and that what caused the crash is still unknown.