Woman trapped in crashed car survives on creek water for 6 days until rescue

A woman in Indiana survived for nearly a week trapped inside her car after a crash, sustaining herself with water from a nearby creek, before being rescued. Authorities have stated that the woman's survival was a remarkable feat.

Newton County Sheriff Shannon Cothran posted on social media that a man operating drainage equipment discovered Brieonna Cassell's vehicle near a highway outside Brook, Indiana. The man who found the vehicle immediately informed his supervisor, who is also a fire chief. They subsequently found Cassell inside the car, conscious and able to speak.

Multiple departments responded quickly, and the 41-year-old woman from Wheatfield, Indiana, was rescued and airlifted to a hospital in Chicago. The sheriff stated that Cassell's family had reported her missing several days prior. Her father, Delmar Caldwell, told ABC News that she had been trapped since Thursday night when she fell asleep at the wheel and her vehicle veered off the road and into a ditch. Her vehicle was not visible from the road.

Caldwell told the media that Cassell suffered injuries to her legs and wrists, and her cell phone was found under the passenger seat. "She was trapped in the car and couldn't get out," Caldwell said, "but she was able to reach water from the car." She was able to soak her hooded sweatshirt in the water and then bring it to her mouth to drink.

As of Wednesday, Cassell was in stable condition at the hospital and scheduled to undergo surgery "because there are some issues with her leg healing," Cassell's mother told Cothran, who was given permission to share her condition on social media. The post read: "Her prognosis for recovery is good, but it will be a long road."