Authorities say the mothers of three were rescued after surviving six days of being trapped in an Indiana shipwreck.
Johnny Martinez was operating the equipment for the drainage drilling company on Tuesday. He called Jeremy Vanderwall, who is also the assistant chief of the volunteer fire department. Newton County Sheriff's Office.
The two checked out the car together and discovered 41-year-old Brieonna Cassell, ABC News It has been reportedcites the Sheriff's Office.
“She was very conscious, very vigilant and very aware of how serious her injuries were,” Vanderwall told ABC News. “She said, “I didn't think anyone was going to find me. I thought I was going to die in this ditch.”
Cassel fell asleep on the wheels Thursday night, kicking the road towards the deep groove under the bridge, her father, Delmar Caldwell, said. He said he tried to scream at the car she was passing by but no one could hear her.
“She was stuck in the car and couldn't get out. But she was able to get to the water from the car,” Caldwell said. “The only way she could survive was to use her hoodie to soak in the drain and suck it up, or bring water from the drain into the mouth.”
Vanderwall believed in Cassel's “survival skills” to use his shirt to regain the water and “knowing that he needs to have water to survive.”
Her father said he had “gived his hopes of being discovered” by Tuesday morning, and “then, by God's grace and prayer and everything, she was found.” He noted that her daughter's phone was dead under the passenger seat and suffered serious injuries to her legs and wrists.
“She and the volunteers and everyone who helped them find everything…it was a great miracle,” Caldwell said.
Reports say Kassel was taken to a hospital in Chicago where he is in serious condition. Her father said she was “well” and “eating a lot.”
Newton County Sheriff Shannon Koslan praised Kassel's survival as “an incredible testimony of her will to live.” He also praised passerby Johnny Martinez for finding her car, calling him a “hero.”
Johnny Martinez/Newton County Sheriff's Office
Vanderwall said that Martinez was operating a tall tractor and he was able to see Cassel's car. Caldwell said Martinez recognized her daughter when she discovered her because reports of her missing person were posted throughout the area.
“If he hadn't seen her and I hadn't pushed her back and check her out, she might have been lying there for who knows how long and the outcome might not be the same,” Vanderwall said.
