Police say two fishermen found a Mishawaka man trapped in an overturned pickup in a creek Tuesday near Interstate 94 in Porter County.
Indiana State Police say the fishermen at first thought the occupant was dead, but he turned his head and spoke to them when one of them touched him. The fishermen called 9-1-1 and rescuers from the Burns Harbor Fire Dept. successfully pulled 27-year-old Matthew Reum from the vehicle.
It was determined that Reum had crashed his truck while traveling on I-94 almost a week earlier, around Dec. 20. He was pinned in his vehicle and unable to call for help. Reum said he survived by drinking rain water for hydration. He was flown to a hospital in South Bend for treatment for what authorities have described as severe, life-threatening injuries.
Police say the crash is a reminder of the importance of always letting someone know if you are traveling, the route you’re taking, and always having emergency items in your vehicle.