An Indiana man who crashed his truck last week and was trapped in the mangled wreckage was rescued Tuesday by two men who were looking for a good spot to fish.
Nivardo Delatorre of Portage, Indiana, and his father-in-law, Mario Garcia of Hobart, Indiana, were scouting the area for potential fishing holes Tuesday afternoon when they came upon a wrecked truck partially submerged in a creek under a bridge on I-94, according to USA Today.
Garcia said that they moved toward the area near the creek because they saw something shiny in the distance that caught their attention, according to CNN.
Garcia said he came up to the truck and moved an airbag to one side then saw a man inside.
Garcia said at a press conference that he assumed the man had been killed in the wreck, but reached out and touched the man’s shoulder. He said the man quickly turned around and looked relieved.
“I’ve never seen a relief like that,” Garcia said.
The man who was in the wreckage, Matthew R. Reum, 27, of Mishawaka, Indiana, told Garcia and Delatorre that he crashed his truck and had been stuck in it for six days.
He told the two that he had been unable to reach his phone to call for help, and that no one had heard him scream for help. Delatorre said he then called 911 and the two stayed while waiting for law enforcement to arrive.
The men said they were happy they found Reum with Garcia adding he was thankful for whatever had pushed them toward the truck when they had been ready to head back home.
“Is it a miracle? I don’t know,” Garcia said. “But I’m just glad that we were able to find him.”