Indiana man rescued after being trapped in vehicle for 6 days: 'It's a miracle he's alive'

A man was trapped inside of his crashed truck underneath a bridge in Portage, Indiana, for nearly one week after veering from I-94. By nothing short of a miracle, two fishermen found him.

The fishermen were scouting the area for fishing holes on Tuesday afternoon when they saw the man's mangled truck under the bridge, partially in the water.

The man, who is in his 20s and originally from out of state but currently lives in the South Bend, Indiana area, is believed to have been trapped in his truck since Wednesday, Dec. 20.

His vehicle was discovered in Salt Creek, which is about one mile east of I-94’s Portage Exit.

Matthew Reum, 27, was stranded in his crashed truck for six days before two fishermen found him and called for help. (Indiana State Police)

Police say the man travels frequently for work. Officials are still looking into what may have caused the crash; however, their preliminary investigation shows that while he was driving on I-94, the man’s truck careened to the right of the highway barrier, went airborne, rolled several times to the left, and ended up underneath the bridge. The final resting position of his truck was shielded by the bridge – leaving it out of view to those traveling the interstate above.

"It's a miracle that he's alive," said Sgt. Glen Fifield, PIO, Indiana State Police – Lowell Post. "We've been lucky enough that our temperatures have been above normal."

The fishermen who found the man – a father-in-law and son-in-law – spoke during a news conference Tuesday evening, saying their curiosity is what led them to the driver.

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"It was very fortunate that we saw through the cracks of the woods, the shiny of the wreck, and curiosity that took us over there," said Mario Garcia.

Garcia, one of the fishermen, said he looked inside the vehicle, moved the airbag, and saw the man's body.

"I went to touch the shoulder and the moment I touched the shoulder, he swung around, he woke up," said Garcia. "He was alive, and he was very happy to see us, I’ve never seen a relief like that. He says he tried yelling and screaming, but no one could hear him, it was quiet, just the sound of the water."

Garcia says he and his son-in-law, Nivardo Delatorre, almost stayed home Tuesday, but due to the mild weather, ventured out.

"For me was the first time going [to Salt Creek] so it was just, we were put there for a reason," said Delatorre.

"It looked like he was really fighting to be there, to stay around, he didn’t want to go," said Garcia.

Garcia and Delatorre called 911 and first responders rushed to the scene.

Officials said due to the challenging terrain, it took quite a while for first responders to extricate the driver.

The man was airlifted from the scene to South Bend Memorial Hospital for treatment.

On Tuesday night, he was alive and conscious – but officials said his injuries are severe and potentially life-threatening.