Indiana Fishermen's Discovery Leads to Miracle Rescue of Trapped Driver

In what has been described as nothing short of a miracle, two Indiana fishermen, Mario Garcia and his son-in-law Nivardo Delatorre, stumbled upon a shiny object that turned out to be a truck with a man trapped inside. The disquieting discovery and subsequent rescue took place near a creek under the Interstate 94 bridge in northwest Indiana, marking an incredible end to a six-day survival fight for the driver, Matthew R. Reum.

The day after Christmas, Garcia and Delatorre decided to look for new fishing spots near Salt Creek when their attention was caught by a glint under the I-94 bridge. Curiosity led them closer to what they soon realized was a severely mangled truck. As they approached, Garcia managed to move an airbag to find Reum in the driver's seat, initially believed to be deceased. However, upon touching his shoulder, Reum astonishingly woke up.

Reum, a 27-year-old from Mishawaka trapped since December 20, recounted to his rescuers that his screams for help had gone unheard, and he was unable to reach his mobile phone to call for assistance. Amid the silence broken only by the sound of water, Reum maintained hope through his ordeal by drinking rainwater to stay hydrated.

The temperatures in Porter County had recently plummeted to a chilling low of 29 degrees, making Reum's survival even more extraordinary. Sgt. Glen Fifield of the Indiana State Police emphasized the miraculous nature of Reum's condition given the severe injuries he sustained and the extended period he was pinned inside his vehicle.

While Garcia and Delatorre stayed with the driver, their call for help brought professional rescuers to the difficult-to-access scene. The westbound lanes of I-94 were closed during the rescue efforts, which culminated in Reum being transported to a hospital for the care he desperately required.

Although the events leading to the crash remain unclear, it's surmised that Reum's truck left the roadway, missed the guardrail, went airborne, and ultimately came to rest, hidden under the bridge. Despite the absence of any reported crash, had it not been for the fishermen's timely discovery and the response of emergency services, the cold conditions of the impending night could have proved fatal.

The role of Garcia and Delatorre in this rescue is a testament to the importance of staying observant and checking on unusual sightings. Their vital human curiosity turned a regular fishing trip into a life-saving mission, demonstrating how even the most ordinary day has the potential to become the backdrop for an extraordinary event.