Missing woman survives 6 days trapped in wrecked car as drivers pass unaware

NEWTON COUNTY, Ind. (WGN) — A missing woman miraculously survived for nearly a week, badly injured and trapped inside her mangled car along a rural northwest Indiana road.

Brieonna Cassell, 41, of Wheatfield, was reported missing last Thursday, according to the Newton County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO).

According to a missing persons post by family, she left her mother’s home to visit friends in the Wheatfield and Demotte area. No one had seen her or her Ford Taurus since.

According to the NCSO, more than 400 vehicles a day drove by Cassell’s crashed Taurus.

With Cassell unable to get out of the car or summon help, it wasn’t until an employee for Deyoung Drainage, Johnny Martinez, noticed her vehicle off the roadway Tuesday that authorities learned of her remarkable story of survival.

Once he made the discovery, Martinez contacted his supervisor, who happens to be a local fire chief, Jeremy Vanderwall.

Martinez and Vanderwall checked her Taurus and found Cassell inside. Incredibly, she was conscious and speaking.

After six days pinned inside her own vehicle, Cassell was airlifted to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Chicago.

At a press conference Tuesday evening, Cassell’s mother, Kim Brown, said she survived by flinging her sweatshirt “like a fishing pole” into creek water near her crashed Taurus and wringing the water into her mouth to drink.

According to her parents, another problem that kept Cassell trapped in her vehicle was that her cellphone became lodged under her seat and was out of reach after she regained consciousness.

“Bri had actually said to her daughter this morning, she was giving up hope, but she managed to stay alive,” said Dale Brown, Cassell’s father. “It’s going to be a long road to recovery. But thank you to everyone for spreading the word and volunteering.”

Kim Brown said Cassell has compound fractures in her legs, but she has not received an update on any other injuries her daughter may have suffered. 

She’s still elated for the first opportunity to see her daughter after six emotionally draining days though.

“I’m going to hug her and kiss her and kick her butt,” Kim Brown said with a smile.