Indiana State Police:

PORTAGE, Ind. -- A man who had been trapped in his crashed truck for several days was found alive Tuesday after fishermen spotted the wreck under an I-94 overpass.

Indiana State Police said two fishermen, Nivardo Delatorre of Portage and his father-in-law Mario Garcia of Hobart, were walking along South Creek about a mile east of the Portage exit when they saw a crashed car under the bridge, hidden from plain view, under an overpass under I-94 between US 20 and State Road 249.

They looked into a car and found a man inside. Garcia said they thought he was dead and reached out to touch him to confirm, when the man woke up, turned his head toward them and began to speak.

The two good Samaritans called 911.

State police said a man in his 20s from South Bend was rescued and taken by helicopter to a hospital.

State police said he was trapped for several days, possibly up to a week, and has life-threatening injuries. They said the effort to extricate him from the wreck was complex and took a significant amount of time.

Police said the man does odd jobs and handy work, and had not been reported missing. He could not reach his phone to call for help.

Police said it was "a miracle" he was alive, and noted that the weather this Christmas season has been warmer and milder than normal.