Solange Tremblay, a Canadian veteran flight attendant with more than 25 years of experience, was seriously injured when an Air Canada Express flight crashed at New York’s LaGuardia Airport last week. The crash killed two pilots and injured dozens, but Tremblay’s survival surprised many because of how she was found after the crash.Tremblay’s Air Canada Jazz flight 8646 from Montreal to New York, carrying 72 passengers and four crew members, collided with a Port Authority fire truck as it was landing. The collision occurred on the runway and the nose of the aircraft was destroyed on impact.Witnesses and first responders were stunned when Tremblay was found more than 320 feet away from the wreckage, still strapped into her jump seat on the tarmac. Her daughter Sarah Lépine called her survival a “miracle.” Tremblay remained conscious during and after the accident.Tremblay suffered multiple serious injuries. She had both legs badly broken and needed metal plates, she had a broken spine and lost a lot of skin in her legs and needed transplants. She also required blood transfusions during initial treatment.Photos shared by her family showed her lying in a hospital bed as she began what was expected to be a long recovery. A GoFundMe campaign started by her daughter raised funds to support her medical, surgical and recovery expenses.The crash at LaGuardia Airport triggered an investigation by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Canadian authorities to determine how fire trucks entered the runway as the plane landed. The accident temporarily closed the airport and raised questions about runway safety procedures.Two pilots, Antoine Forest and Mackenzie Gunther, died in the accident.
