Man Trapped Under Bridge for 6 Days Rescued After Fishermen Spot Mangled Truck: ‘Never Seen Relief Like That’

An Indiana man pinned inside his truck and concealed from passing motorists was miraculously saved nearly a week after he plummeted over a bridge, when a pair of fishermen spotted his mangled vehicle and called 911.

The harrowing Dec. 26. rescue of Matt Reum was captured on Portage police body cam, six days after investigators believe he lost control of his truck and it jumped the barrier on I-94, rolling several times, trapping him inside, WFLD-TV reported. 

The truck landed right side up, next to a frigid river in Portage, Indiana, where two fishermen saw his wrecked vehicle the day after Christmas.

"I went to touch his shoulder and the moment I touched his shoulder, he swung around, he woke up," Mario Garcia, recounted to the station. "He was alive, and he was very happy to see us. I’ve never seen 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."

"For me, it was the first time going [to the Salt Creek River] so… we were put there for a reason," Garcia’s son-in-law, Nivardo Delatorre, added.

The pair called for help and police were first to arrive on the scene.

"Hang on buddy, you stay there. We got medics coming, okay? Don't worry about nothing," a responding officer was heard saying on one of several videos obtained by the outlet, documenting first responders’ rescue efforts.

“I’ve never seen something like this before — ever,” another commented. “At least he’s not in the water.”

An additional officer cut away part of the air bag and tore off a piece of the vehicle, as he questioned whether Reum, who was seemingly responsive, if he still had feeling in his legs. 

Firefighters subsequently arrived, and over an hour later, Reum was successfully extricated from his truck, according to the footage.

He was forced to get an above-the-knee amputation on one of his legs, he revealed, in a series of updates on Facebook, while also thanking the public for supporting his GoFundMe.

“I got a shower yesterday, which is why my hair looks amazing,” he said in the latest clip. “I have learned how to walk again with assistance and a walker. Right now, the most challenging thing for me is going up a stair or a curb, and also going up a ramp.”

“At 27, I never thought that it was gonna be challenging for me to do that, but it is, but, tomorrow is a new day,” Reum said.