Flight Attendant Injured

Veteran flight attendant Solange Tremblay was seriously injured after being ejected from a plane during a crash at LaGuardia Airport in New York on March 22, when the plan collided with a firetruck. Despite being thrown hundreds of feet while still strapped into her seat, she survived the impact.

Tremblay, who has more than two decades of experience as a flight attendant, was seated in a reinforced crew jump seat near the front of the aircraft at the time of the crash. During impact, the force of the collision tore her seat from the plane, sending her flying over 300 feet across the runway. 

The flight attendant was later found still secured in her harness. She suffered multiple severe injuries, including broken bones and spinal trauma, and has since been through excessive medical treatment. Aviation experts say the design of the jump seat and its four point harness likely played a crucial role in saving her life.

“It’s crazy that a woman went flying that high out of a crashed plane and stayed alive while everyone else on the firetruck died. I hope something this extreme doesn’t happen again. I hope there are more precautions put in place in the LeGuardia Airport,” NHS junior Celia Plaue said. 

Tremblay’s daughter Sarah Lépine and her cousin Johannes Verbeek set up a GoFundMe page to support her recovery. 

“I want to thank each and everyone of you from the bottom of my heart for your love, support, your kind words from all around the world,” Tremblay wrote. “I am speechless, without words, and so full of gratitude for your help, and so grateful to still be alive.”

The fire truck involved in the collision had been responding to a separate emergency in the air and entered the runway shortly before the plane’s landing. Reports indicate that the vehicle was cleared to move by aircraft control, suggesting a possible breakdown in communication between ground crews and the control tower. The truck was not able to clear the runway in time, placing it directly in the path of the incoming aircraft. 

“That is a colossal screw up. With all the TSA people not being paid and all the TSA people not showing up to work. Who’s to blame for this? Was it somebody who was working double shifts? But, I’m looking for answers and responsibility,” NHS BEAT department chair Eric Holst-Grubbe said.

The crash happened as the aircraft was landing at LaGuardia Airport and collided with the fire truck that had entered the runway. The impact resulted in the deaths of both pilots and left 72 passengers and crew members injured. Initial check investigations think that miscommunication with air traffic control may have contributed to the accident, allowing the vehicle onto the runway at the same time the plane was landing. Authorities continue to investigate the incident to determine the exact events that created this crash and prevent similar accidents in the future.