Man Survives Six Days Trapped in Wrecked Truck in Northwest Indiana
PORTAGE, Ind. (CBS) -- A man named Matt Reum has miraculously survived nearly a week in the wild on nothing but rainwater, as he was trapped for six days in a wrecked truck in Northwest Indiana.
CBS 2's Lauren Victory obtained the 911 call made by one of the two fishermen who found the crash victim.
According to Mario Garcia and his son-in-law Nivardo Delatorre, they were walking along Salt Creek near Portage, Indiana, in search of a good fishing spot on Tuesday afternoon when they noticed something shiny. To their surprise, it turned out to be a mangled truck.
Garcia explained that he moved the white airbag in the cab of the truck and went to touch what he thought was the driver's dead body. However, the driver turned around and began speaking.
"It almost killed me there, because it was kind of shocking," Garcia said. "But he was alive, and he was very happy to see us. Like he was really like, I've never seen a relief like that."
Delatorre's astonishment could be heard in his voice as he made the 911 call.
Fishermen Make Shocking Discovery: Man Trapped in Wrecked Car for Six Days
A group of fishermen had an unexpected and shocking experience when they stumbled upon a car that had been wrecked and left undiscovered for six days. The incident took place at a fishing hole near the expressway, but the exact location was unknown.
One of the fishermen, Delatorre, quickly dialed 911 to report the discovery. "There's a car that's been here since Wednesday, and there is a person inside of it. He's still alive too," Delatorre informed the operator.
The fishermen were in disbelief as they had simply set out on a leisurely fishing trip. "Dude, that's crazy," Delatorre exclaimed during the call. "I came down here to check for fishing and he's down here in the car."
Rescue crews were dispatched to the scene, and Delatorre informed the operator that the victim might require the jaws of life to be freed from the wreckage. "His truck is pretty wrecked," Delatorre explained.
True to Delatorre's prediction, the rescue crews had to use the jaws of life to extricate the trapped man, identified as Reum. The vehicle had veered off Interstate 94 and rolled underneath a bridge on December 20th.
Reum had spent six days, including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, trapped in the wrecked truck exposed to the elements. Unfortunately, he was unable to call for help as his cellphone was just out of reach.
On Wednesday, friends posted a picture of a man named Reum smiling and giving a thumbs-up from his hospital bed. They have started an online fundraiser for Reum – a welder and a member of the member of Boilermakers Local 374 who lives in Mishawaka, Indiana, near South Bend.
Multiple sources described him as kind, respectful man.
We are told that as of Wednesday, Reum was awake and able to speak.
Reum told the fishermen who rescued him that he survived off rainwater. CBS 2 tapped two independent medical experts to understand more about the odds of surviving so long in the elements while trapped – with only rainwater to drink.
"This man was very, very lucky," said Dr. Dr. Emily Jameyfield of the University of Chicago Medicine emergency department.
The experts explained that people can't survive very long without water.
"You can survive weeks to months without food – without solid food - but you can only go a handful of days, if even, without water," said Jameyfield.
"People can survive longer without food than they can without water," said Dr. Evelyn Huang, an emergency medicine physician at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, "the reason being is that there are stores of energy inside of our body that can replace food, but water is really hard to access and really hard to store."
Victory asked Huang to explain in junior-high biology terms why the body needs water.
"Water is essential to life," Huang said. "It's essential to all most mammal lives."
Water: The Essential Element for Your Body
Water is a vital component of the human body, making up 60 percent of a person's body weight. It serves various functions that are essential for survival. The Mayo Clinic explains that water helps regulate body temperature, moisten tissues in the eyes, nose, and mouth, protect internal organs and tissues, transport oxygen and nutrients to cells, lubricate joints, flush out waste products, and dissolve minerals and nutrients for easy absorption.
Recently, a man named Reum underwent a leg amputation due to a severe injury. Friends of Reum reported that he suffered multiple bone fractures and is currently in critical condition. Reum released a statement expressing his gratitude for the support he has received and requested privacy during his healing process. He will share the details of his survival story once he has had time to process the events.
