A missing Indiana woman trapped in her vehicle for nearly a week managed to stay alive by dipping her sweatshirt in a small creek behind the wrecked car for water as she waited desperately for rescue, family members said.
Brieonna Cassell, 41, of Wheatfield, was found after a man working in the area saw a vehicle off a roadway and out of view of traffic, the Newton County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Tuesday.
Cassell was driving near the Newton County Landfill on Thursday when, it's believed, she fell asleep behind the wheel and crashed, NBC Chicago reported. The car veered off the road and came to a stop in an embankment.
The sheriff's office said she was the sole occupant in the vehicle and was conscious and speaking when she was found.
"Despite her injuries, Cassell had survived 6 days waiting to be rescued," the sheriff's office said.
Cassell was taken to a Chicago-area hospital and has been reunited with her parents and her children, according to NBC Chicago. Her family said she sustained broken ribs, fractures in her arm and both legs, and a big scratch on her forehead. She was severely dehydrated and was scheduled to have surgery Wednesday morning, the family said.
"Her outlook for recovery is good, but it will be a long road to recovery," the sheriff's office said in an update Wednesday.
Her father, Delmar Caldwell, told the station that Cassell could hear cars driving by and was screaming for help. Her mother, Kim Brown, said she survived by dipping her sweatshirt in a small creek behind the wrecked vehicle.
"She would take her hoodie ... and suck on it to have water," Brown said.
Caldwell said: "She persevered. She wanted to stay alive."