A Pennsylvania man who survived a car crash that killed his girlfriend spent three days trying to escape the wreckage and crawling back to the road before being rescued, police said.
Kevin Bell, 39, was found Tuesday evening in southeast Indiana after he freed himself from the smashed SUV, which had gone down an embankment and hit a tree, and crawled to the road. He had injuries to his legs, but would likely recover, police said in a statement.
A search of the vehicle, which police said was well hidden from passing motorists, revealed the body of 37-year-old Nikki Reed of Seymour, Indiana.
WHAS-TV identified Reed as a mother of three who was expected home on Sunday for her youngest son’s birthday. Police believe she was in the passenger’s seat and was killed instantly in Saturday’s crash.
“As soon as I heard that she was not here, I knew something was wrong,” Kristie Bevers, Reed’s best friend, told WHAS-TV.
Reed’s family said she had driven to Pennsylvania on Friday to pick up Bell, her boyfriend, who police said used to live in the eastern Indiana town of Dover. Relatives last heard from Reed around noon on Saturday, when her daughter spoke with her on the phone about buying a cake for her brother’s birthday.
“She said to call her when I came back out (from the store), so I went to call her and she didn’t answer her phone,” Brooklyn Reed said.
Bell, who was driving the SUV when he lost control of the vehicle and crashed, was transported to St. Vincent-Jennings Hospital in North Vernon. Police said his injuries didn’t appear life-threatening.
Police said they continued to investigate the cause of the crash.