A man who was trapped in a mangled vehicle for several days in Porter County was rescued on Tuesday after Good Samaritans who were looking for a place to fish noticed the wreck and called for help.
The Good Samaritans, Mario Garcia and Nivardo Delatorre, told reporters Tuesday evening that the sight of a vehicle in a rugged location beneath I-94 sparked curiosity while they searching for a fishing hole in the area at around 3:45 p.m.
As the two men approached the car, Garcia noticed a man's body heavily constricted inside the vehicle after shifting the car's airbag to get a better look before tapping the man on the shoulder.
The man inside the car immediately woke up and turned his head, shocking Garcia and Delatorre who were taken back by the man's responsiveness. They then called for help, leading to the man's eventual rescue.
Garcia told reporters the man reacted with relief and gratitude upon being discovered.
"He was very happy to see us, I've never seen a relief like that," Garcia said.
Garcia added that the man told him and Delatorre that he had been in the car since last Wednesday, unable to move or call for help due to the condition of the vehicle.
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"Just very fortunate that we see through the cracks of the woods, the shining of the wreck, and curiosity that took us over there, because it would have been a different outcome if we either didn't go out or didn't see them," Garcia said.
Officials also said that the warmer-than-average weather of the past few days undoubtedly played to the man's benefit, with Tuesday's rescue ahead of a colder stretch of weather even more imperative for the man's survival.
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Authorities said the man is currently hospitalized with "severe, possibly life-threatening" injuries, with a long road to recovery ahead for the man after an improbable rescue.
The Good Samaritans believe the man rescued is in his late 20s, and said it appeared his youth contributed to his survival, noting his inability to move or call for help while trapped in the vehicle.
Several fire departments assisted in extricating the man from the vehicle in a laborious rescue, owing to the rugged terrain and the vehicle being nearly directly below the I-94 bridge over Salt Creek.
Authorities said the man was airlifted to a hospital in South Bend where he is currently undergoing treatment.
