By Dana Griffin, Dennis Romero and Mirna Alsharif -
NBC News
A man who spent six days trapped in the wreckage of his truck after leaving a highway in Indiana and falling under an overpass into a stream has told NBC News, sister network of Noticias Telemundo, in an exclusive interview how he survived and what he will do. with the new opportunity that life gave him.
Matthew Reum, 27, was discovered in his wrecked car Dec. 26 in a creek in Portage by a Latino man and his son-in-law who were looking for a fishing spot near Interstate 94.
Rescuers airlifted him by helicopter to a trauma center.
Reum was in serious condition: he broke a hand and a leg and they had to amputate one of his legs under the shin.
[A driver trapped in his truck for six days survived by leaking water from a drain]
However, Reum, a tiler from South Bend, now embraces life with a new perspective: “When I got on the helicopter, my brain was telling me, 'You made it, you're alive,'” he told NBC News after being discharged.
“It took me a couple of days to understand the reality of everything [what happened],” he said.
At the time of the accident he was heading from Hobart to South Bend in fog, and hoped to make it on time to a friend's funeral the next day, he said.
He jerked the steering wheel to avoid hitting an animal — possibly a deer — and the car reached the shoulder of the interstate, before falling off the road into a shallow creek, according to his account and that of the rescuers who rescued him. .
Matt Reum.via GoFundMe
“Shortly afterward I passed out,” Reum said, and “when I woke up I was left where my truck lay for six days.”
Reum relied on his knowledge and experience as a lover of outdoor activities and the rule of three of survival: humans can survive three minutes without breathing, three days without water and three weeks without food.
Although his thoughts turned dark and he attempted suicide, Reum said.
“There was a voice in my head, my best friend's, telling me to stop.
“I don’t wish anyone to ever have to go through a situation like that,” he added.
With no access to water, trapped behind the wheel, he used his sweatpants to filter rainwater from the roof of his car into his mouth.
It was enough to keep his body functioning, he explained.
"I did not ate anything.
“I basically sucked the water out of my pants,” she stated.
She had a watch and a phone with accident notification technology.
A trailer park was nearby and she could hear voices in the distance as the highway hummed, she said.
He screamed so loudly for help, that he's surprised he didn't lose his voice, although he only became more alone.
The dark winter days mixed with the night, to the point where he was unable to distinguish one from the other, and he was not aware that he had been trapped for six days, according to Reum.
In search of adventure and while their wives were away, Mario García and his son-in-law Nivardo De La Torre were taking advantage of the last minutes of sunshine of the day to explore fishing holes when the metal of Reum's destroyed vehicle shone, attracting them.
“I was a little nervous, but I looked inside [the car] and that's when I raised the
airbag
and saw a shoulder and the body,” Garcia said.
At his touch, Reum moved.
“When they arrived I thought he was hallucinating,” Reum recalled.
[Medical helicopter crash in Oklahoma leaves at least three dead]
García and De La Torre participated in the interview with NBC News, in which they recounted what happened when they met for the first time.
“The first thing he mentioned was: '
Are you real or am I dreaming?'
”García said, quoting Reum.
“I couldn't believe it,” he added.
The men immediately contacted first responders, but even after they arrived, it took hours to free Reum from his mangled and inaccessible truck, according to authorities.
“That young man, he was smiling,” Garcia said,
“any other person would be suffering from having lost a limb, but he was so happy to be alive.”
The three became friends and keep in touch daily, they said.
“It's always wonderful to see them and I don't think that even in 20 years my perspective on that will change,” Reum said.
“I think I gained another son and, from now on, I will keep an eye on him,” García added.
Reum said the amputation will mean new challenges and that therapists are helping him relearn how to perform basic tasks, such as getting out of bed and making food.
He will discover new abilities that will unite him with his new friends, who are like family.
“Yes, it doesn't bother me at all,” he said.