Man Trapped in Crashed Truck for 6 Days Gets New Leg — and Graduates College: ‘I Feel Optimistic’
Matt Reum, 27, was pinned in his truck before two good Samaritans found him underneath a bridge in Indiana
The Indiana man who lost his leg after being trapped in his truck for six days is determined to move on from his terrifying ordeal.
"I got handed a 50-pound bag of lemons, and I'm just trying to make the best of it," Matt Reum told CBS affiliate WBBM-TV.
Two fishermen found the 27-year-old man pinned in his wrecked Dodge Ram in December, PEOPLE previously reported. He had swerved off the highway and rolled his truck before it landed underneath a bridge near Portage.
With his left leg pinned underneath the steering wheel, Reum couldn’t reach his cell phone to call for help and had all but given up hope about being rescued. He told the station that he was waiting to die.
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"After six days of being down there, you know, it's very easy to lose hope that those sirens are ever gonna come for you," he said.
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Eventually, good Samaritans found Reum and first responders extricated him from the vehicle.
Related: Boy, 2, Trapped for Over 3 Days After Falling 360 Feet Down Well: We Are 'Broken,' Dad Says
Unfortunately, doctors were unable to save his leg, which was amputated above the knee, per the report.
According to Reum, he spent “three months of fighting with insurance” before he was ultimately able to receive a new prosthetic leg last week.
“Thank you to everyone who has watched, laughed, and joked about these last 5 months,” Reum wrote in a message on Facebook posted Friday, May 17. “Without y'all I wouldn’t be standing here on my own two feet (bad pun I know).”
He also posted a photo of his new leg with the caption, “New leg, who dis?”
As Reum adapts to his new leg, he also recently accomplished another goal — getting his degree at Ivy Tech Community College. He shared a few smiling snaps in his cap and gown from May 10 ceremony on Facebook.
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Now, Reum is channeling his positive energy into new projects, including writing a book and motivational speaking gigs.
"I feel optimistic about kind of what the future holds," he told WBBM-TV.
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