Brieonna Cassell was in ‘excruciating pain’ for almost a week after veering off a highway in Northwest Indiana
Brieonna Cassell was found with severe injuries six days after she crashed her vehicle into a ditch in Brook, Indianaopen image in gallery
Brieonna Cassell was found with severe injuries six days after she crashed her vehicle into a ditch in Brook, Indiana (Facebook)
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A missing mother-of-three was found alive six days after crashing her car in a ditch in what authorities call an “incredible testament to her will to live.”
Brieonna Cassell, 41, was en route to visit a friend in the Wheatfield and Demotte area in Northwest Indiana last Wednesday when she disappeared, officials said.
The woman is believed to have fallen asleep behind the wheel and veered off the road while driving near the small town of Brook, around 80 miles south of Chicago.
Cassell crashed into a “very big, deep ditch” that couldn’t be seen from the road, her father Delmar Caldwell told ABC7 Chicago. He added that passersby couldn’t hear her cries for help from their cars.
She became trapped and was largely unable to move inside the vehicle, while her cell phone had run out of battery. Caldwell said that his daughter rang liquid out of her hoodie in an attempt to stave off dehydration.
“She was in excruciating pain. She was screaming out for help. She could hear cars going by, but they couldn't see her from the road,” her father added.
Brieonna Cassell (second from right) is due to undergo surgery on Wednesday after sustaining severe injuries to her legs, her family saidopen image in gallery
Brieonna Cassell (second from right) is due to undergo surgery on Wednesday after sustaining severe injuries to her legs, her family said (GoFundMe)
Cassell’s family joined rescue teams and had been searching for the mom for six days when Johnny Martinez, who was operating drainage equipment nearby, spotted a vehicle on Tuesday, the Newton County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday.
Martinez contacted his supervisor Jeremy Vanderwell, who also happens to be a local volunteer fire chief.
Martinez and Vanderwall checked the vehicle and found Cassell, the sole occupant of the vehicle, conscious and speaking.
“‘That's you?’ I said, ‘Your family's been looking for you.’ I said, ‘There are posts everywhere on social media.’ I said, ‘I can't believe you've been in this long,’” Vanderwall told the local news station.
Cassell was rescued and air-lifted to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. Her family said she had suffered severe injuries to her legs – which she could potentially lose – along with her ribs and wrist.
The woman was placed in the ICU and is expected to undergo surgery on Wednesday.
“Don't lose hope. Don't give up. We had thought the worst. It had gone through our minds so many times, but thank God,” Caldwell said.