After deadly plane crash, mom seated by the emergency exit on Air Canada noticed an injured man — made one crucial move before opening the door
The Air Canada plane crash at LaGuardia Airport in New York, which took the lives of the two pilots on board, could have been far worse in terms of casualties. However, all 72 passengers made it out of the aircraft alive, with injuries that were later treated in the hospital, according to sources. Among them was a mom of two who was seated by the emergency exit, as reported by PEOPLE. She found herself in a situation where she had little time to make a decision, and she chose compassion in that moment.
Rebecca Liquori, a nurse by profession, was seated in the emergency exit row when the flight took off from Montreal. The 35-year-old had not anticipated that the landing in New York would turn into a tragic crash, resulting in chaos inside the cabin. But, Liquori “just sprang into action as quickly as possible.” She noticed a man next to the emergency exit who was bleeding from a serious head wound. That’s when Liquori chose not to open the emergency exit right away; instead, she reached into her bag for napkins and handed them to him to help stop the bleeding.
Later, Liquori, with assistance from another female passenger, opened the emergency exit door for people to escape, while a man opened the other exit. “We got it out the way and people were running out, jumping off the wing,” said the mother of two. In the absence of an emergency slide in the aircraft, the instructions from emergency personnel on the ground became crucial to the safe evacuation of the passengers.
The flight took off smoothly and was stable throughout. Liquori was sleeping during the descent of the flight. That was when heavy turbulence hit. She had also heard a “grinding noise” and "then three seconds later, the collision happened.” According to PYOK, the Air Canada Express flight, carrying 72 passengers and four crew members, struck a fire truck that was authorized to cross the runway. Both the pilots who succumbed to death following the crash have been identified as Capt. Antoine Forest and First Officer Mackenzie Gunther. The 39 passengers on board the plane, along with two firefighters on the truck, were later taken to the hospital.
For Liquori, this flight wasn't exactly the one she had originally planned to take from Montreal back to New York. Due to multiple delays, she had to travel on an Air Canada Express flight. The mother of two, returning from her cousin’s baby shower, was eager to get back home to Long Island to be with her young sons before work the next day. But when the plane crashed at the airport, she was forced to wonder if she would ever see her sons, husband, and her parents again. “I thought, 'This is it for me,'” said Liquori while recalling the moment. Despite all the worries, she still showed her presence of mind and kindness, which helped save a person from excessive bleeding.
The mom of two even lent her phone to another woman to inform her loved ones. Liquori’s husband was already on his way to the airport as soon as he got the SOS alert from her phone. He rushed to the airport after receiving her SOS alert, enduring a tense 15 minutes not knowing her fate. Now under medical care, she says she’s grateful for a “second chance” to simply “be a mom.”