Woman survives in car for nearly 1 week after crashing into ditch in Northwest Indiana: LIVE

NEWTON COUNTY, Ind. (WLS) — A missing woman survived for nearly one week in her car after crashing into a ditch in Northwest Indiana, officials said.

The family of 41-year-old Brieonna Cassell said she went missing on Wednesday after leaving her mother’s home to visit a friend in the area of Wheatfield and DeMotte, Indiana.

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But Cassell, also a mother, fell asleep behind the wheel before crashing.

The Newton County Sheriff’s Office said on Tuesday, six days later, a passerby was operating equipment for Deyoung Drainage in Brook when he found a vehicle off the roadway, out of view from passing traffic, on CR 600S near CR 300E. That’s about 1 mile southeast of the Newton County Landfill.

He then contacted his supervisor, who happens to be the Morocco fire chief.

They checked the vehicle and found Cassell inside. She was conscious and speaking.

“She was using her hoodie and ringing it to get a drink of water, trying to survive,” said Cassell’s father, John Caldwell. “She was in excruciating pain. She was screaming out for help. She could hear cars going by, but they couldn’t see her from the road.

Despite suffering injuries, Cassell had survived for six days, waiting to be rescued. She was flown to a Chicago’s Christ Hospital for treatment.

Cassell’s family said she has several broken bones and could possibly need surgery.