A missing mom of three miraculously survived for almost a week in a wrecked car before finally being found by a drainage worker.
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According to a report by ABC7, Brieonna Cassell, 41, went missing on Wednesday last week. She left her mother's home en route to a friend's house in the area of Wheatfield and DeMotte but never arrived. Cassell had reportedly fallen asleep behind the wheel, crashing her car in a creek in Northeast Indiana.
"She had fell asleep and veered off the road and went into a very deep ditch," Delmar Caldwell, Cassell's father, explained. "She couldn't be seen from the road," he said. Cassell was injured and pinned inside her car in the creek, unable to free herself. To make matters worse, her phone died so she couldn't call for help.
The Missing Mom Used Her Hoodie To Stay Hydrated
Brieonna knew she needed water, and her father explained how she survived for so long. "She was using her hoodie and wringing it to get a drink of water, trying to survive. 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."
Rescue teams were combing the area with Cassell's family for six days. In a stroke of luck, a worker for Deyoung Drainage found the vehicle off the roadside on Tuesday, out of view from all traffic. He contacted his supervisor, volunteer Fire Chief Jeremy Vanderwall, to check the crash scene.
When Cassell told Vanderwall who she was, he replied, "That's you?! Your family's been looking for you. There are posts everywhere on social media. I can't believe you've been in this long."
Emergency Services flew Cassell to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. Her parents say she has severe injuries to her legs, ribs, and waist. They explain that doctors placed Cassell in Intensive Care, but there's a chance she will lose her lower legs after surgery.
Caldwell told interviewers, "Don't give up, don't lose hope. I mean, we had thought the worst. It had gone through our minds so many times, but thank God."
