Updated: 8:30pm – Peggy Phillips, a retired nurse, was sitting a row in front of Jennifer Riordan when the engine exploded on Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 from New York to Dallas.
She has told of the terrifying moments where shrapnel struck Riordan’s window and pulled her through the hole and almost completely sucked her out of the aircraft.
Phillips has recounted those moments to US network ABC and how despite everyone’s best efforts, Riordan could not be saved.
By this stage, Ms Phillips had abandoned her own oxygen mask to help revive Riordan but there was little that could be done because of the trauma she suffered.
“If you can possibly imagine going through the window of an aeroplane at about 600mph (965km/h), and hitting either the fuselage or the wing with your body, with your face …
I can probably tell you that there was significant trauma to the body,” she said. “Significant head trauma, facial trauma.”
“I don’t consider myself a hero by any stretch, but there were heroes on that plane,” she said. “I just did what I do. I did what needed to be done, what any registered nurse would do.”
Despite their efforts, Riordan was pronounced dead at a Philadelphia hospital after the plane made an emergency landing. Riordan was an executive for the bank Wells Fargo and was on her way home from a business trip when she died. In a statement, Riordan’s loved ones called her “the bedrock” of the family.
“Jennifer’s vibrancy, passion and love infused our community and reached across our country. Her impact on everything and everyone she touched can never be fully measured,” the statement read. “But foremost, she is the bedrock of our family. She and Mike wrote a love story unlike any other. Her beauty and love is evident through her children.
“We are so appreciative of the outpouring of support from family, friends and our community. We do ask that those who seek to express their condolences and prayers as well as media outlets respect our privacy at this time. Our family and friends need this time to both grieve and celebrate Jennifer’s impact on us all. In her memory — please remember to always be kind, loving, caring, and sharing.”
Phillips said all 143 passengers on board knew something was not right shortly after take off.
“All of us thought this might be it. Shortly after takeoff we heard a loud noise and the plane started shaking like nothing I’ve ever experienced before,” she said. “It sounded like the plane was coming apart. It was terrifying.”
-NZ Herald
Featured image: Peggy Phillips tried to save Jennifer Riordan on the Southwest Airlines flight. Photo / ABC
