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- Amputee Matt Reum, 28, is grateful to be alive after surviving a terrible accident when his plunged nine metres down into a ravine under a bridge in the dark.
- Matt was trapped inside the water-filled truck for six agonising days before he was rescued
- Despite losing his leg in the ordeal, Matt is focusing on the positives in his life
Here Matt shares his story in his own words
Driving home on a dark, foggy night, after a long day at work teaching welding apprentices, suddenly a deer appeared on the road.
‘Damn!’ I cried, swerving to avoid it.
My truck tore through the guardrail of a bridge, and tumbled down a ravine, crashing into a fast-moving creek below.
I’m going to die, I thought.
As the truck rolled, time seemed to slow down and the contents of my truck floated around me, the freezing water filling the cabin. Then everything went black…
I woke up soaked and covered in shattered glass.
My truck had landed engine-first, crumpling the hood and trapping my legs beneath the dashboard.
‘I’m going to die, I thought.’
My right hand was swollen badly.
The truck’s emergency call system was dead, and my phone was missing.
I tried to sound the horn – nothing. The only noise was the traffic up above on the bridge.
‘Help me!’ I shouted.
Exhaustion and pain wrapped around me like a shroud. I realised I couldn’t feel my left leg anymore
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There’s got to be a way out, I thought, desperate.
I managed to retrieve my toolkit from the back seat and, with my broken right hand, began dismantling the dashboard to try to free my legs. But it was impossible.
I passed out again and woke the next day unbearably thirsty. So I drank rainwater coming through the shattered sunroof. It was foul, mixed with diesel, rubber, dirt and runoff from the highway above.
Desperate, I used a spare pair of trackpants as a filter. Twisting the first drops of water into my mouth was heaven.
‘Would I need to amputate my own leg to escape?’
By the third day I was lightheaded and weak.
Shockingly, my attempts to free myself had worn through the skin on my right leg to the bone.
Would I need to amputate my own leg to escape?
I started writing in a small journal I kept in my truck, trying to be positive. But my thoughts quickly turned dark.
My best friend Kristyn, my dad Frederick, my sister Keira and my aunt Lily would mourn me, but I knew memories fade.
My stomach twisted in hunger knots as I passed out again. The next day, I saw a paring knife on the passenger side floor but trying to grab it, the knife slipped from my grasp…
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I began writing goodbyes to my family, even drafting my own obituary.
Days went by and still no-one came.
As I slipped in and out of consciousness, I prayed, ‘Could you work a small miracle for me?’ I said to God.
The next morning, I woke to searing pain in my lower body.
Then, suddenly, a head poked through my broken window.
‘Are you real?’ I croaked, convinced I was hallucinating.
‘I’m real,’ the person assured me.
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He introduced himself as Mario, and I learned it was December 26. I’d been trapped in my truck for six days.
Mario and his friend Nivardo had been scouting fishing spots when they saw my wreck.
They called emergency services and police arrived soon after. They were amazed I’d survived the nine metre fall! Firefighters arrived and started working to cut me from my truck. It was a slow complicated effort.
A medical team was also soon there to look after me.
‘You’re safe now,’ Mario said as I clutched his hand.I heard the crunch of metal as they lifted the truck from on top of me. Pain seared though my body. It was like my legs were on fire.
Finally I was airlifted to hospital. There, I had 18 X-rays and was pumped full of medications to ease the pain. My right hand needed surgery due to shattered bones and torn tendons. My right leg was bruised but amazingly intact.
My crushed left leg, however, was beyond saving – gangrene had set in.
‘We need to amputate your leg below the left knee,’ a doctor explained.
‘If it has to be done, it has to be done. I’m grateful to be here,’ I replied.
Kristyn heard about my accident and miraculous rescue on the news and rushed to the hospital in tears. She’d been trying to get in touch with me for days.
Dad arrived too, shocked he hadn’t known I was missing, but relieved I was still alive.
‘I’m here for you every step of the way,’ he said.
Waking after the amputation op, I felt where my leg used to be. ‘It feels strange,’ I told a nurse.
Unfortunately, the tissue didn’t heal, so they had to amputate above the knee three days later.
On January 16, 2024, Dad and Aunt Lily were there to hug me when I was discharged – half a leg and 10 kilos lighter.
By April, I had a prosthetic.
Refusing to rely on a wheelchair, I hit the gym regularly and invested in a running prosthetic. Before the accident, sunrise runs with Kristyn had lifted my spirits, so now as a survivor I was determined to get back to that.
Life didn’t end for me in that ravine, it began again.’
In November 2024, I was able to take part in a 5km charity run.
I stayed in touch with Mario and Nivardo – they were my angels. I haven’t returned to work yet, but I finished my associate degree in Applied Science.
My scars, both physical and emotional, aren’t reminders of what I’ve lost, but of the wisdom I’ve gained. And I know someone was looking out for me that day.
Take it from a guy who spent nearly a week inadvertently camping in his truck – good things happen when you choose to see the positive. Life didn’t end for me in that ravine, it began again.
Matthew’s book, ‘Still Standing: The seven miracles of Matthew Reum’ is available online
