A year after surviving 6 days in a wrecked pickup truck, Matt Reum has come a very long way
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Just about a year ago, Matt Reum was found alive in a smashed-up truck that fell off an overpass on Interstate 94 in Portage, Indiana.
On Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023, Reum was driving on I-94 when he swerved to miss what looked like a deer. The vehicle ended up plunging down into a ravine under the bridge along the rushing Salt Creek.
The pickup truck was smashed and mangled, and he couldn't get out – nor reach his phone to call for help. So he just remained there, surviving on rainwater and using his airbag as a blanket when it got cold out, for six days.
Just over a year later, Reum talked about his experience and the perspective he has gained.
"Last year, I was a little preoccupied for the holidays," he said, "so this year. I wanted to make it a little different."
Indeed, Reum was still right there trapped on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 2023. It was not until Dec. 26 that he was discovered.
"It's amazing to see how far I've come in the last year—in terms of, you know, healing medically; in terms of, you know, my perspective about the whole thing," Reum said.
On Boxing Day 2023, two fishermen who had come to scout out a spot along the creek just happened across Reum—and called 911 for first responders to come to his rescue.
Body camera video revealed the dire condition in which first responders found Reum after six days pinned in the pickup truck and screaming for help.
"There were times in my when I was in my truck that I thought I was going to have to cut my own leg off," Reum said.
Reum believed being trapped in a pickup truck was how he would die too.
He survived, but he lost his left leg.
"One of the stages of grief is the acceptance," Reum said. "You know, people grieve when they lose something. I lost half my leg."
Last May, CBS News Chicago's Lauren Victory caught up with Reum. CBS News Chicago's crew was there when he received his prosthetic leg.
"I think shortly after the interview I had with Lauren, I went and did a 5K on crutches," Reum said.
That's right—Reum crossed the finish line, and he entered into yet another new era of his life—one of self-motivation.
"Being so vocal about all the different things I'm facing, whether it's mental health or physical health," Reum said. "The affirmation of people telling me that I was motivating them was motivating me to motivate others."
Now, more than a year later, Reum travels around telling his story. He has also put his near-death experience into a book titled, "Still Standing."
"It's honestly a reminder to myself to, you know, day after day, just keep standing," Reum said.
Erika Celeste co-authored the book, and said there was some humor intended behind the reference to "standing" in the title.
"It was a little bit tongue-in-cheek too, because he has great humor about the fact that he is an amputee."
Celeste said Reum's resilience is striking.
"The thing that I think is most interesting about Matt is that he is extremely positive," Celeste said. "His spirit is still standing too. He's been beaten down again and again and again."
Many people have wanted to know why Reum's family did not report him missing for the six days he was trapped in the wrecked pickup truck. His book reveals why, and explains how the crash has built family ties.
Reum says he has a lot to be thankful for this new year.
