Wetin dey happen for New York airport don shock everybody. Na serious matter wey involve Air Canada plane and fire truck wey crash for runway. The thing happen for LaGuardia Airport on March 22, and two pilots lose their life. But one flight attendant, Solange Tremblay, survive am. Her survival na like miracle.
According to her daughter, Sarah Lepine, Tremblay dey inside Jazz Aviation Flight 8646 wey dey operate for Air Canada Express. The plane dey come from Montreal. As e dey land for Runway 4, e jam fire truck wey dey cross the same runway. The impact scatter the nose of the CRJ900 aircraft. The fire truck even turn upside down.
Tremblay wey be senior flight attendant dey sit for jump seat near cockpit. The force of the crash throw her comot from the plane. She fly pass 300 feet before land for tarmac. But the shocking part na say she still dey strap for her seat. First responders meet her for ground, still conscious.
Her injuries serious well well. Lepine talk say her mama get two shattered legs with open fractures. Doctors don do multiple surgeries already, and dem still need put metal plates for the legs. The woman also get fractured spine. She dey wait to see if surgery go required for that one too.
“My mom was conscious for all of this,” Lepine write for GoFundMe page wey she create. “She continues to fight and recover at a hospital in New York.” The daughter add say Tremblay need skin grafts to repair missing flesh wey she lose as she dey slide for tarmac. Blood transfusion sef don happen because of surgery complications.
The recovery road long. Lepine yarn say her mama go need more surgeries and intensive rehabilitation to learn how to walk again. “At the moment our greatest fear is the risk of infection,” she talk. “Which could lead to other horrifying complications if her injuries become infected.”
For the crash self, Captain Antoine Forest (30 years) and First Officer Mackenzie Gunther (24 years) die. More than half of the 72 passengers for the plane get injuries. Two firefighters wey dey inside the truck sef get injuries. As of Sunday, only five of the injured people still dey hospital.
Jeff Guzzetti, aviation safety expert and former federal crash investigator, call Tremblay survival “total miracle.” He explain say the flight attendant seat na jump seat wey dey fold down and bolt to the wall near cockpit. “It’s a very robust seat,” Guzzetti talk. “It’s designed to withstand probably more crash loads than passenger seats because you need the flight attendant to help passengers get out of an airplane after a crash.”
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) dey investigate the accident. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, wey dey manage LaGuardia, say dem go wait for NTSB report before dem make any changes to airport operations. Kathryn Garcia, head of Port Authority, tell CBS News New York say she no go speculate on cause until report ready.
Meanwhile, the GoFundMe campaign don raise over $133,000 from more than 2,200 donations as of Sunday. The target na $160,000. The money go help cover Tremblay recovery costs and allow family members like her husband Denis and daughter Sarah to stay for New York while she dey receive treatment.
LaGuardia Airport get history of short runway compared to JFK and Newark Liberty Airport. Pilots don complain about close calls and communication issues with air traffic controllers before. But this crash na the first fatal one for the airport in 30 years, and one of the most serious incidents for decades.
Tremblay still dey hospital for New York. Her daughter talk say she dey “constant fear of sustaining further damages than she has already suffered.” But the woman dey fight. Photo wey dem post for GoFundMe show Tremblay for hospital bed, smiling next to visitor. Her legs and right knee dey bandage.
The crash don raise questions about airport safety and communication between air traffic control and ground vehicles. NTSB investigation dey ongoing. But for now, the focus dey on Tremblay recovery and the families of those wey die.
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