An Indiana woman, missing for six days, was found alive on Tuesday inside her crashed car in Brooklyn. Brieonna Cassell was found by a passerby who was operating some equipment in the area, the Newton County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

He saw a vehicle off the roadway and immediately contacted his supervisor, Jeremy Vanderwell, who also serves as a fire chief in the nearby town of Morocco.

Upon checking the vehicle, the two found Ms Cassell alone in her car, “conscious and speaking,” the Sheriff’s Office said. Mr Vanderwell said, “She was very conscious, very alert, very aware of how severe her injuries were.”

She has broken ribs, a fractured arm and both legs and has a big scratch on her forehead.

Despite being severely injured and trapped for six days, she was conscious and responsive, said the sheriff’s office. She was immediately taken to the Chicago hospital, where she was placed in the ICU and will undergo surgery.

The 41-year-old, mother of three, went to her friend’s place near the towns of Wheatfield and DeMotte last Wednesday.

She was driving in the small town of Brook, about 80 miles south of Chicago, when she reportedly fell asleep while driving. As a result, her car went off the road and ended up stuck in an embankment, according to reports.

“I didn’t think anybody was going to find me. I thought I was going to die in this ditch,” she said after being rescued.

Her father, Delmar Caldwell, said that her phone’s battery ran out and she had no way to call for help. She stayed alive by dipping her sweater into a small creek behind her vehicle, then squeezing the water out and drinking it.

Ms Cassell’s mother, Kim Brown said, “I could feel something was wrong in my gut and I started panicking. I just can’t wait to hug her and kiss her. It’s going to be a long road to recovery.”