A driver who fell from a deserted highway bridge was stuck in his car for six days, but his life was saved with the help of a fisherman who happened to be passing by a stream.
According to the Associated Press and NBC News on the 27th (local time), a man named Matthew Leeum (27) fell under a bridge while driving a pickup truck on Highway 94 near Portage, Indiana, on the 20th.
The truck ended up overturned on a rocky field next to a stream, and the driver was seriously injured and unable to move, trapped inside the crushed car. I couldn’t call for help because I couldn’t reach my cell phone.
The spot where the truck fell was a blind spot that was not easily visible from the highway, so other drivers could not find it.
Almost a week later, at around 3:30 PM on the 26th, two anglers who were walking along the stream bank to catch fish happened to discover the scene. The two fishermen, a father-in-law and son-in-law, said they saw sunlight reflecting on the car window from afar and approached it to take a look.
They thought the driver in the car was already dead. However, he revealed that when he put his hand inside the car and touched his body, the driver moved his head and he was so startled.
The driver, Leeum, who was rescued from the car after six days, was taken by helicopter to a hospital in nearby South Bend with multiple fractures and serious injuries.
At the time of rescue, Leeum did not realize how long he had been trapped in the car. He also said he was in a state where he could not feel his limbs.
Leeum said, “After the accident, I shouted out the car window, ‘Please help me,’ but there was no response. In the silence, I could only hear the sound of water, and my hope that I could ‘survive’ became increasingly faint.”
Fortunately, it has been raining continuously in this area recently, and Leeum was able to survive for a week by drinking rainwater that came into the car.
The police said, “The temperature in this area is gradually dropping, so if we had not been careful, there could have been a tragic ending,” adding, “If it had not been for the two people walking by the stream, it probably would have had a different outcome.”
Park Tae-geun,
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.