PHILADELPHIA, Penn. — A Philadelphia father is calling his son a “superhero” for shielding his younger sister when a medevac jet crashed in a Philadelphia neighborhood, showering flames and debris on homes and the vehicle in which the family was riding. The boy suffered a serious head wound and is recovering.
Andre Howard Jr. picked up his three children from school last Friday and took them to Dunkin’ Donuts for an evening snack. The weekly family ritual was upended when the plane crashed nearby, killing all six on board, including a mother and daughter returning to Mexico from medical treatment. A person on the ground was killed and more than two dozen others were injured.
“A really loud boom, and we saw a fireball that covered the whole entire sky,” Howard told CNN on Monday.
Howard said he put his truck in reverse to avoid the debris and could see cars engulfed in flames, a man on fire and people flying through the air.
Amid the chaos and panic, Howard said he heard his 10-year-old son Andre III tell his 4-year-old sister, Ayura, to get down, then dove on top of her to shield the girl from the flying debris.
When he checked the back seat, Howard said, he saw his daughter and another son, 7, were OK, but Andre had a piece of metal lodged in the right side of his head.
“I see my unconscious son with a piece of metal in his head. I got out of the truck and put a sock on his head, and as I moved him, the metal piece fell, and he was gushing out blood,” Howard told CNN while fighting back tears.
A man came over and gave him his shirt to help stanch bleeding, Howard said. A woman looked after the other children while Howard tended to Andre.
Howard said the medical team at the hospital explained there was a possibility Andre would never be able to walk again, and his vision could be impaired. “They gave us the roundup of everything that could happen,” Howard said.
Following surgery and a CAT scan, Andre III was transferred to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in stable condition. Since then, he’s been making progress. He’s expected to walk and his vision is fine, his father said.
Howard said that when Andre awoke the first thing he did was ask about Ayura. “Did I save her from the crash?” the boy asked.
“Andre is my superhero,” Howard said. “As a dad, I’ve always instilled in them [his two sons] to protect your sister when daddy is not around. And I’m grateful to have a son like Andre.”
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