(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Indiana State Police have released body camera footage of the rescue of Matt Reum, the 27-year-old man who was trapped in his wrecked pickup for six days under an Interstate 94 bridge in Portage.
The latest video of the crash scene provides a slightly new perspective on the rescue.
A state trooper can be heard explaining how the truck left the road at a high rate of speed, rolled down an embankment and over a creek before coming to rest under the bridge.
Portage Fire Department Battalion Chief Chris Crail was the incident commander. He said the rescue took one hour and 20 minutes.
“It was hard to tell what type of vehicle it was,” Crail said. “The passenger side was a little more intact, but the driver’s side was completely destroyed.”
After surviving the crash, Reum was in the hospital for one month. He had part of a leg amputated below the knee.
In a social media post, Reum said the crash happened after he swerved to miss something in foggy weather. The ensuing days, he added, were “the longest 144 hours” of his life.
“I was tested; I was tried; I cried and prayed,” Reum wrote. “I had so many emotions, thoughts, wonders, and regrets cross my mind during those six days.
“I'm missing a limb. But with the support and love from all of you, I feel like a whole person."
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