A man who crashed his truck under a bridge in the US state of Indiana and was pinned for nearly a week in the wreckage – unable even to reach his mobile phone – has been found alive in what is being described as a miracle.
Two men looking for fishing holes in Salt Creek, near the town of Portage, were hailed for discovering the gravely injured man, who told them he had been trapped in his vehicle under a motorway for almost a week.
They called for help and, after a challenging rescue from the deep ravine, the man in his late 20s was airlifted to hospital with what police described as potentially life-threatening injuries.
The drama began on 20 December when the man’s truck swerved off the motorway, plunged down the ravine, rolled across the creek and wedged itself under the bridge, according to Indiana State Police Sergeant Glen Fifield.
The man drank rainwater in order to survive, police said, but could not call for help as his phone was out of reach.
“This is a miracle that this gentleman is alive today, and that these two gentlemen just happened to be on that creek,” Sgt Fifield, standing next to the rescuers, told a news conference.
Mild Christmas holiday weather was a major factor in the man’s survival.
However, with temperatures now dropping considerably, Sgt Fifield said that he did not believe the man “would have made it through” another night.
The fact that he was discovered in time was its own miracle.
With the wreckage all but invisible from the busy traffic lanes above, no one had reported an incident.
Even another group of fishermen who waded through the water earlier had failed to spot the crashed truck.
But Mario Garcia and his son-in-law, who were walking through the creek looking for new areas to fish, noticed something shiny on the bank.
“I looked inside and moved the white airbag, and there was a body in there,” Mr Garcia told reporters, saying he had believed the man was dead.
“I went to touch it, and he turned around. And that – it almost killed me there, because it was kind of shocking. But he was alive,” he said.
“He was very happy to see us … I’ve never seen a relief like that”.
US media, citing Indiana State Police, identified the driver as 27-year-old Matthew Reum.
“He says he tried yelling and screaming but nobody would hear him,” Mr Garcia said.
“He had to survive on just his youth … and God’s help … because I don’t see no other way”.
