Neighbor who witnessed Brandon plane crash: ‘An angel was on both their shoulders’
BRANDON, Fla. (WFLA) — Two people are lucky to be alive after their plane suddenly crashed in Brandon Thursday afternoon.
Hillsborough County Fire Rescue said they received several calls just before 3:30 p.m. for the overturned plane near Parsons Avenue.
Neighbors were shocked to see a plane falling from the sky.
“The woman’s arm was dangling, you know, and I had to rip the door off for them to get out,” Dion Papas said. “She was stuck in the seatbelt and then we lifted the wing up, so he could get out. Once he got out, then I had room to get her.”
Papas saw the plane go down and ran to help rescue those who were trapped inside.
“I just thought it was going to blow up, to tell you the truth, you know. It’s just one of those things, but I’m just glad they’re alright,” he said.
He injured his arm while ripping the door off the plane.
“They were bent backwards, it smashed, they hit the tree when it was coming down and it flipped them over, so they landed right on their heads and necks,” Papas said.
Fire Rescue said both people were sent to a local trauma center.
“They are so lucky, it’s unbelievable, to tell you the truth, because it was flying and then it stopped in midair, the chute deployed and then the stress chute came out to show where they landed at,” Papas said.
Richard Bedford owns the house and land the plane crashed in front of. He said he was sitting in his living room with his wife when it happened.
“She said a plane just crashed in the front yard of the other house, I scooter over and sure enough, it’s hanging in the breeze, but the people were fine,” he said.
Others who saw the crash said they are happy everyone is okay, because it could have turned out a lot worse.
“Everybody made it out OK though,” Kendry Liranza said. “Luckily the owner of the house still has a roof, he didn’t land on any power lines or the middle of traffic.”
Everyone in the area said it is a miracle both people survived.
“How did they ever survive? An angel was on both of their shoulders, I can tell you that much,” Bedford said.
Bedford said he has never seen anything like this, and he doesn’t mind if the plane has to stay in his yard for hours, he is just glad everyone is OK.
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