Man Trapped in Truck for Days Has Leg Amputated

The 27-year-old Indiana man rescued after six days trapped in his truck has had part of his leg amputated and is in intensive care. A spokesman for welder Matt Reum's union, Boilermakers Local 374, said his leg was amputated from the midshin down on Wednesday, the day after he was rushed to a hospital via helicopter, NBC News reports. Reum was found in his crashed pickup truck under an I-94 bridge the day after Christmas by two men scouting for fishing holes. He told the men that he had survived on rainwater and had been unable to call for help because he was trapped with his phone just out of reach, reports CBS News.

In a statement issued on Reum's behalf, South Bend Memorial Hospital said he wants to thank everybody for their support, "including the good Samaritans who found him, the first responders, and his caregivers," the AP reports. Reum was still in critical condition Wednesday, with injuries including multiple broken bones. "No matter how tough things get, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, sometimes in the least expected way," he said in the statement. He said he would be ready to share details of his experience after he takes time to rest and heal. (More Indiana stories.)