A deaf woman survived being hit by a small custom-made plane that crashed into her as she walked her dog in a soccer field.
Tiffany Harrison was seriously injured in the freak accident in Long Beach, Southern California, on Tuesday, October 21, and had to undergo surgery.
Harrison, who is in her 40s, didn’t hear the home-built two-seater aircraft approaching the field as the pilot had to make an emergency landing, her sister, Brittany McFall, told ABC7.
“This is very traumatic for her, and she’s probably going to have PTSD because a normal person wouldn’t just…walk in the park and have this freak accident,” McFall told the outlet.
“When we got the phone call that she got hit by an airplane, we couldn’t even believe it because it’s something that doesn’t happen,” Harrison’s sister added.
A deaf woman survived being hit by a small custom-made plane that crashed into her as she walked her dog in a soccer field (Long Beach Fire Department)
Harrison suffered a fractured spine, a broken pelvis and required surgery for a large cut on her leg. Her dog survived and was not injured.
Her partner, Veronica Barrera, said her “heart dropped” when she saw the plane closing in as she looked on from the parking lot where she was waiting.
“That plane hit her so fast,” she told CBS News.
The pilot, in his 60s, also survived the crash and is recovering. He said he didn’t think he would make it in a radio message, according to CBS.
“I’ve lost power, declaring an emergency,” the pilot said. “I don’t think I’m going to make it, uh, I’m going… I’m going to pick a field here.”
Harrison, who is in her 40s, didn’t hear the home-built two-seater aircraft approaching the field, her sister Brittany McFall said (Long Beach Fire Department)
He was stopping in Long Beach en route to French Valley in Riverside County when the plane’s engine went out, hangar manager Dennis Lord told ABC7.
The experimental aircraft was not illegal or unsanctioned, Lord said. “They are certified by the FAA, there’s hundreds of them flying over the Southern California area all the time, and we have a hangar at Compton Airport where we build them,” he added.
Long Beach Fire Department crews were called to the scene on Tuesday afternoon, where they worked to remove the pilot from the plane.
“When units arrived, they found one small aircraft on its belly with broken landing gears,” the fire department confirmed in a statement. “The plane’s fuselage was intact. When the plane landed, it collided with a pedestrian in the park. Units assisted with removing the pilot, an elderly male, from the airplane and transported him via paramedics to a local area hospital.”
