A man and his father-in-law found themselves dismembered Wednesday morning after a driver trapped in a wrecked car in Indiana for days.
Matt Reum's leg was amputated from the middle down and he is now in intensive care, a spokesman for the Boilermakers Local 374 union, of which Reum, 27, is a member, said in a statement.
Beacon Health System said in a statement, “Matt Ream would like to thank everyone for their support and well wishes, including the good Samaritans who found him, the first responders at Memorial Hospital and his caregivers.”
Rheum remains in critical condition, the statement said.
“Matt knows he has a story to tell, and when he's ready, he plans to share the details of that experience,” it said. Ryume asked for time to rest and recuperate to give himself and his family privacy.
“No matter how hard things get, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, sometimes in the least expected way,” Ream said.
Authorities in Indiana said Tuesday that the man and his father-in-law were searching for fishing holes when they found Ream in the wreckage of his car. They found Rheum, who they first thought was dead, in a shallow creek under an Interstate 94 bridge in the town of Portage.
Riam, who was not clear how long he was trapped there, had multiple injuries, including a broken arm, said Mario Garcia and son-in-law Nivardo de la Torre.
He was airlifted to a hospital, where his injuries were considered life-threatening, said Sgt. Glenn Fifield, regional spokesman for the Indiana State Police.
Fifield estimated at a news conference Tuesday that Rheum may have been at the scene for nearly a week because the area is out of sight of the interstate. He further informed that no accident related reports have been registered in the area in recent days.
It's unclear exactly how Reum got there or survived. Fifield said it was unclear whether he had access to food or water.
Mild Indiana weather this week may also have contributed to Reum's survival. Although temperatures reached freezing this time last year, highs in the 40s at 58 degrees and lows are warmer than normal, Fifield said.
“Quite frankly,” he said, “it's a miracle he's alive.”
Fifield said Tuesday that it took hours for rescuers from the Portage and Burns Harbor Fire Departments to free Ream from the car because of the severity of the wreckage and the difficult location.
Authorities believe Ream was driving westbound on I-94 near mile marker 19.
“His vehicle misses that guard so he drives onto the grass shoulder before going airborne,” Fifield said. “His vehicle goes into the creek where he rolls several times. It rolls under the bridge.
