A man who crashed his truck under an Indiana bridge and was pinned for nearly a week in the wreckage -- unable even to reach his cellphone -- has been found alive in what was described as a miracle.
Two men scouting for fishing holes Tuesday in Salt Creek, near the town of Portage, were hailed for discovering the gravely injured man, who told them he'd been trapped in his vehicle under the I-94 highway since December 20th -- six full days.
They called for help and after a challenging rescue from the deep ravine the man in his late twenties was airlifted to a South Bend, Indiana hospital with what police described as potentially life-threatening injuries.
The drama began when the man's pickup swerved off I-94, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) southeast of Chicago, plunged down the ravine, rolled across the creek and wedged itself under the bridge, according to Indiana State Police Sergeant Glen Fifield.
The man drank rainwater in order to survive, police said, but couldn't call for help as his phone was out of reach.
"This is a miracle that this gentleman is alive today, and that these two gentlemen just happened to be on that creek," Fifield, standing next to the fishermen-rescuers, told a press conference late Tuesday in the Midwestern US state.
Mild Christmas holiday weather was a major factor in the man's survival. But with the temperatures dropping considerably overnight into Wednesday, "I don't believe that he would have made it through the night," Fifield said.
The fact the man was discovered in time was its own miracle. With the wreckage all but invisible from the busy traffic lanes above, no one had reported an accident.
Even another group of fishermen who waded through the water earlier had failed to spot the crashed truck.
But Mario Garcia did. He and his son-in-law were walking the creek, seeking out new spots to fish, when they noticed something shiny on the bank.
"I looked inside and moved the white airbag, and there was a body in there," Garcia told reporters, saying he had believed the man was dead.
"I went to touch it, and he turned around. And that -- it almost killed me there, because it was kind of shocking. But he was alive," he said.
"He was very happy to see us... I've never seen a relief like that."
US media, citing Indiana police, later identified the driver as Matthew Reum, 27.
"He mentioned he had been there since last Wednesday," Garcia said.
"He says he tried yelling and screaming but nobody would hear him," Garcia said.
"He had to survive on just his youth... and God's help," he added. "Because I don't see no other way."