In a tale of miraculous survival, the flight attendant thrown from an Air Canada Express CRJ 900 at La Guardia Airport March 22 in a collision with a fire truck is now on the mend in a hospital, but there’s a long recovery ahead. Solange Tremblay, a 26-year veteran of the regional carrier, suffered two broken legs requiring multiple surgeries, a fractured spine, skin grafts, and complications that required a blood transfusion, according to a Facebook post by her daughter Sarah Lepine. She was among more than 40 people hurt in the accident, which killed the two young pilots, Capt. Antoine Forest, 30, and FO MacKenzie Gunther, 24.
Tremblay remains in a New York hospital and has more surgeries scheduled followed by months of rehabilitation. Doctors are concerned about possible infection from the severe road rash she endured in her tumble on the runway, which left her about 300 feet from the wreckage still strapped to the forward jump seat she occupied for the landing. “My mom’s struggles are far from over,” Lepine said. A GoFundMe campaign has raised about $150,000 CAD ($115,000 USD) of its $160,000 CAD goal.
Meanwhile, the bodies of the two pilots were flown to their hometowns of Ottawa for Gunther and Montreal for Forest last week where they were met by hundreds of fellow pilots and coworkers standing in the rain to pay tribute to them. The wreckage of the regional jet has been released to Air Canada after investigators finished the physical examination last week and moved the shattered aircraft to a hangar. The plane was going about 90 knots on the rollout after landing on a flight from Montreal when it and the truck collided on the runway. Investigators are now focused on the communications between air traffic control, the crew of the aircraft, and the two firefighters on the truck to determine the factors that led to the accident.
I’m sure it hurts but ain’t it grand to be ALIVE. What a story she has for her family and colleagues!
This makes one wonder if all the seats in an airliner should be aft-facing…
Makes sense but most folks want to see the future and forget the pasture…
To whomever downvoted my comment, I dare you to discern, apart from the brief and gentle acceleration on takeoff, which direction you are moving once aloft. Even a window seat at flight levels gives precious little visual indication of the direction of travel. Especially if you have a seat over the wing.
At altitude and static thrust, our proprioceptors have nothing to work with, so you may as well be facing aft.
How would it be any different from the aft-facing cafe seats on a train?