A nurse who survived the devastating LaGuardia airplane crash is speaking out after the blood-curdling experience.
In a new interview with TMZ, Rebecca Liquori, who was aboard the Air Canada plane when it collided with a fire truck in New York City on Sunday night, detailed the crucial moments after the crash. She told the outlet on Thursday:
“When we had the collision, I thought, ‘I don’t want to die. I don’t want this to be how my life ends. My boys need me. Please, God, don’t let me die.’ We didn’t realize that the pilots had passed away and that the flight attendant had been ejected.”
What a devastating reality. But being a skilled nurse, her life-saving instincts quickly kicked in:
“But I’m a nurse and I know that every second counts, so I just stepped into action, opened that emergency door, and I was able to get some passengers out and get myself out.”
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Asked how she helped calm other passengers, she responded:
“There was no calming everyone else, people were in panic — rightfully so, we thought we were going to die. We did all help each other, there was a very herd-like mentality, we leaned on each other, nobody was pushing [saying], ‘I’ve got to get out!’ It was nothing like that. We all worked together. We were comforting each other, people were bleeding, giving each other napkins. There was very much a sense of camaraderie among the passengers who survived.”
That’s incredible.
On the possibility of suing, Rebecca says:
“I’m just focused on my recovery. I haven’t even thought about that. I’m happy to be alive, I’m happy to be home, I’ve been bothering my children because I’m constantly giving them hugs and kisses, I’m smothering them. That hasn’t crossed my mind at this current moment.”
For now, she’s still struggling with nightmares and lack of sleep:
“I’m not sleeping well. I’m not sleeping well. Every time my mind is silenced, I hear the screams, I hear the crash, I hear the boom. I didn’t sleep for like the first 24 hours after the flight just because I’ve been very anxious, my heart’s been racing. I’m not really getting great sleep. It’s been a very rough couple days.”
Rebecca has widely been praised as a hero for her quick reaction after the crash, but she is remaining extremely humble amid everything:
“[People] have said that to me because I opened the emergency exit and got passengers out and got myself out. Honestly, as a nurse, every second counts and I just know that the sense of urgency in working in my field. So I just acted quickly. I’m just glad I was able to get myself out and the other passengers. The real heroes were the pilots that saved us. Had they not pressed that emergency break, the fatality could have been even larger, the plane could have exploded. Anything could have happened, so it’s all credit to them, so that’s how I feel.”
Watch her full interview (below):
You can hear Rebecca talk more about how quickly life can change in a video on on her Instagram account (below):
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Our heart remains with those who lost their lives that day — and those whose lives were changed forever.
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