Indiana Man Stranded In Truck For 6 Days Released From Hospital

SOUTH BEND, IND. — Matt Reum, the 27-year-old Indiana man who was rescued by two fishermen after being stranded in his truck for six days before Christmas last month following a crash along Interstate 94, has been released from the hospital.

Reum was released from Memorial Hospital in South Bend on Tuesday nearly a month after he was involved in a crash near Portage, Ind., in which his truck slid down an embankment and came to rest near Salt Creek.

Reum was found on Dec. 26 by two Good Samaritans, who were scouting fishing holes along the riverbed when they happened upon Reum, who was unable to get out of his truck following the crash. Doctors amputated a portion of Reum’s leg and Reum has remained in the hospital undergoing physical therapy and learning to walk again.

In a statement released by Beacon Health System on Tuesday, Reum thanked members of the community who had supported him throughout the ordeal and those who “have been in my corner.” He also thanked the medical staff and physical therapists who worked with him during his three-week hospital stay and helped to feed and bathe him while providing him with medication at all hours of the day and month.

“Now it is time for me to take my next steps outside of the hospital where I will be tested, tried, and will grow even more,” Reum said. “I may be a little slower getting around than I was four weeks ago, but I’m still going to be moving forward toward a life I am proud of, having been given a second chance.”

Since undergoing multiple surgeries to help treat his injuries, Reum has provided numerous updates on his Facebook page. In recent days, he posted videos after rehab and physical therapy sessions in which he said he needed to learn to walk with the assistance of another person or a walker.

In a recent video, he said that stepping up onto a step, curb or ramp was difficult and something he never expected to deal with at age 27. In a statement released by the hospital, officials said following his release on Tuesday night, Reum will begin the next phase of his healing journey at home and will continue physical rehabilitation on an out-patient basis.

In a video released by the hospital before Reum was discharged, Reum was reunited with the two men who are credited with saving his wife. After the accident, investigators called Reum's rescue a miracle.

In the video, Reum called the six days he was trapped the "longest, scariest, most terrifying days of my life because that day, I had given up hope."

In the video, he tells first responders that one of the items he handed EMS workers was a notebook that included his obituary and a suicide note to his best friend.

"(Those two fishermen) showed up at the right place at the right time," Reum said. "Thanks to them, you know, the state police was able to show up and (first responders) showed up. There were so many miracles that went into that moment, and there is no possible way I can ever repay you."