Matthew Reum Indiana driver struck in car crash for 6 days and who survived off rain-drops rescued after two passing fishermen spotted his wreck. Driver had to have leg amputated.
Never under-estimate the will to survive… An Indiana man trapped in his crashed vehicle for almost a week and who survived on rainwater during his ordeal has been rescued after two fishermen came across his pick up truck and called authorities for help.
Matthew R. Reum, 27, was driving a 2016 Dodge Ram truck westbound on I-94 about an hour outside of South Bend, Indiana, in Porter County, when he crashed his pick up truck sometime around December 20th, the state police said in a press release.
The vehicle ‘left the roadway for unknown reasons’ and landed in a ditch, then overturned into a nearby creek and came to a stop under an overpass, the release dated December 26 stated.
Two passerbys come across severely damaged vehicle and what they believed to be lifeless person
Matthew Reum according to the release was ‘pinned inside of the vehicle and was unable to call for help.’ The pinned driver survived his ordeal after being ‘able to drink rain water for hydration …. while being exposed to the elements.’
Reum’s cell phone had fallen out of reach and his body was trapped, preventing him from calling for aid, ABC reported.
Noted the release: ‘[Reum] says he tried yelling and screaming, but nobody would hear him. It was just quiet – just the sound of the water.’
But then a miracle.
Nivardo Delatoree and his father-in-law Mario Garcia, were scoping out potential fishing holes when the two fishermen spotted Reum’s severely damaged vehicle and its airbag deployed, according to the release. Delatoree and Garcia live in Portage, Indiana, and Hobert, Indiana, respectively.
‘Out of curiosity, they made their way to the vehicle and observed what they thought was a lifeless person,’ the release said. ‘However, when one of the fishermen touched the occupant, he turned his head and began to speak to them. The Good Samaritans immediately called 911 and requested help.’
Never under-estimate the will to survive
Two local fire departments, Portage and Burns Harbor, responded and ‘after a lengthy extrication process,’ were able to remove Reum from the vehicle, the release stated. ‘Reum, a resident of Mishawaka, Indiana, was transported to a local hospital ‘for treatment of severe, life-threatening injuries.’
Continuing, ‘… this afternoon, this incident more than likely would have had a different outcome,’ the release said. ‘There had not been any prior reports of a crash in this area prior to the fishermen finding the vehicle.’
Sgt. Glen Fifield with the Indiana State Police stated Reum’s survival was in part thanks to the warmer-than-average weather for the past six days.
Authorities said the effort to free Reum from the wreck was difficult and took several hours.
‘They had a very difficult time getting down into the creek area with their equipment basically to cut him out and remove him,’ Sgt. Glen Fifield told local news outlets.
Reum suffered ‘severe, possibly life-threatening injuries’ and was airlifted to a hospital, where he will undergo the amputation of his leg as part of the recovery process,’ Sgt Fifield stated.
State police said Reum’s crash ‘is a reminder of the importance of always letting someone know if you are traveling, the route you are taking, and the need to always have emergency items in your vehicle.’
‘The will to survive this crash was nothing short of extraordinary,’ the release stated.
A GoFundMe page for Matthew Reum, who along with having to have his leg amputated suffered a number of broken bones had raised more than $37,500 towards his medical bills as of Wednesday afternoon.
