The family of the flight attendant severely injured in the Air Canada crash at LaGuardia airport, which killed two pilots, have started a campaign to help with her recovery while providing the horrifying details of what she endured during last weekend’s crash.
Sarah Lepine says her mother, Solange Tremblay, was in the jump seat of Air Canada Jazz flight 8646 from Montreal to New York on March 22 when it crashed into a fire truck upon landing at the airport.
The two pilots, first officer Mackenzie Gunther and Capt. Antoine Forest, were killed in the crash. Their bodies were brought back to Canada on Thursday night.
“During the crash, she was ejected over 320 feet from the wreckage. She was found still strapped in her jump seat, lying on the tarmac,” said Lepine. “My mom was conscious for all of this, and has sustained severe injuries from this event.”
Lepine says her mother’s injuries include two broken legs, which have required multiple surgeries, a fractured spine, skin grafts and a blood transfusion following complications from her first surgery.
Lepine goes on to say that her mother’s struggles are “far from over,” adding that she will likely need to undergo further surgeries and intensive rehabilitation to learn to walk again.
“At the moment, our greatest fear is the risk of infection, which could lead to other horrifying complications if her injuries become infected.”
With her mother expected to remain in New York for the foreseeable future due to her recovery, Lepine and her family have launched a GoFundme campaign to help with present and future expenses.
“We are asking for your support to help my mom focus on what matters most- healing and getting through this,” says Lepine. “The funds would allow both myself and her husband Denis, to take time off work to spend time with and take care of my mom.”
The campaign has so far raised more than $86,000 of the $90,000 goal since it was launched one day ago.