NEWTON COUNTY, Ind. (WLS) — An Indiana mother found alive in a ditch after she was missing for nearly a week is still recovering in a hospital.
ABC7 spoke Wednesday with the good Samaritan who found her vehicle as he was driving his tractor.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
Brieonna Cassell had surgery Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn on Wednesday.
She was found on Tuesday inside her car after she crashed into a ditch in rural Newton County, Indiana.
Her family said the crash left her with significant compound fractures to both of her legs.
“I didn’t know what happened to her. I didn’t know where she was. It was scary,” daughter Lexie Cassell said.
Cassell was stranded in her car for almost six days. She had driven off the road and into a ditch while she was asleep at the wheel. The accident had taken her out of view from passing vehicles.
Johnny Martinez, who was working nearby, noticed her vehicle while operating his equipment. He immediately informed his supervisor, and together they found Cassell alive, conscious, and breathing.
“I can’t see smoke… I can’t see lights… nothing, so it’s weird because I saw the car but I don’t see anybody,” Martinez said.
Martinez was astonished to find Cassell in this state. She had survived for days after the accident she mentioned had happened a week prior. He and his partner made their way to her location to offer assistance.
“The timing is perfect… the sheriff told me, ‘You’re a hero,’ because the lady has been here six days and nobody seen it,” Martinez said.
READ ALSO | Mom of 3 survives in car for nearly 1 week after crashing into creek in Northwest Indiana: sheriff
Friend of 30 years Jamie Tidwell said she knew in her gut what had happened.
“Her kids mean a lot to her, so I really think that she was really fighting to make sure she got back to her children,” Tidwell said.
Cassell said her mom screamed for help, made signs to hold up to her window, and even put her car in neutral to slide into the creek closer to fresh water to drink.
But as the days and nights passed, she says her mom admitted her will to survive was dwindling.
“She said that she kept her hope, she fought and she kept trying, but on Tuesday morning, she said she woke up and she was ready to give up, and then they found her,” her daughter said.
Lexie Cassell said at this point doctors don’t know if they’ll be able to save her mom’s legs.
A GoFundMe was set up to help pay for Brieonna Cassell’s medical bills.
Copyright © 2025 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.
