It’s cool to go truck camping or overlanding if you actually intend to. But one Indiana man was forced to camp in his pickup truck after falling off an overpass. He was trapped for six days before rescuers found his truck. 

Indiana man was trapped in his truck for six days down a ravine

Matt Reum, a 27-year-old man from Indiana is lucky to be alive after being trapped in his pickup truck for six days. His Ram 1500 fell off an overpass on Interstate 94 in Portage, Indiana, and landed under a bridge. 

He was swerving to avoid hitting a deer in the middle of the road and lost control of his truck, slamming through a guardrail. 

The smashed-up full-size Ram wasn’t visible from the sides of the road.  He was still sitting in his driver’s seat and broken pieces from the dash and steering wheel pinned his leg to the floor. Matt considered cutting off his leg to escape. 

According to CBS Austin, he couldn’t move, reach his phone, or honk his horn. But he could drink rainwater by using his visor as a funnel. Matt also tried yelling to attract attention during the day. 

One day six, two fishermen found the truck and were surprised to discover Matt inside, still alive. They didn’t see him until they pulled back the airbag like a curtain. 

Police departments, EMS teams, and firefighters quickly arrived at the scene to cut him out of the truck. The interstate was shut down for three hours during the rescue process. 

Matt was airlifted to South Bend Memorial Hospital before regaining hope of survival. However, his left leg was amputated. It wasn’t much of a surprise as he lost feeling in it about 10 minutes after the accident. 

He was an avid runner before the accident and plans to return to the sport with a prosthetic leg. He hopes to inspire others with his story.