This man will do everything for his family even if it will cost him his life. He made the ultimate sacrifice for his daughter. He grabbed her and squeezed her so hard. Then a miracle happened.
November 13, 2021, at around 1:30 in the afternoon at Welke Airport near Beaver Island, Michigan, the twin-engine Britton-Norman BN-2 plane crashed while landing. Laney Perdue was on the plane with her dad and three other adults when the plane crashed as it flew over Lake Michigan.
Laney Perdue, 11-year-old from Gaylord, Michigan is the lone survivor of this tragic plane crash out of the four passengers, the pilot, and two dogs. The 11-year-old girl was bear-hugged by her father before he got killed.
BREAKING: https://t.co/CLLsJH8GnC
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The rescue team rushed to the scene of the crash to save the plane passengers, but Laney and another man were the only ones still alive. Laney was given chest compression while being transported to the nearest hospital but the other man unfortunately died.
Watch it here: Youtube/GMA
The heart-rending loss has come into clear focus as the families have been informed. Though the pilot’s name was not identified and shared, the deceased included couple Adam Kendall, Kate Leese, and Laney’s father, Mike Perdue.
Although the lone survivor was first reported to be in a critical condition with broken bones and other injuries, she was in steady condition on Sunday and was finally transferred to a children’s hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan. There, Laney revealed that her father had made the ultimate sacrifice just for her.
A family friend, Ryan Wojan, told CNN that Mike Perdue cradled Laney in his arms.
Ryan Wojan said:
“He cradled her in his arms. She doesn’t remember anything, except for her daddy squeezing her so hard. He was always a giver … and was such an important part of the community.”
Ryan Wojan knew Mike Perdue from Smith Realty Group since they were both co-owners. Three hours before the accident, he had flown on the same plane and planned to meet up with Mike for the opening day of firearm deer season while Laney is scheduled to stay with a local family friend.
Read the Smith Realty Group’s Official Statement: Facebook/ Smith Realty Group
Christina Perdue, Mike’s wife told ABC News that her daughter’s last memory of his father was holding her so tight.
Christina said:
“It’s her last memory before the crash. We are heartbroken with the loss of my husband, a father, brother, son and friend. He gave the best bear hugs, and I believe he grabbed our daughter and protected her. Our prayers are also with our island community and the other souls lost in the accident.”
Official Statement of the University of Dallas: Facebook/ University of Dallas
Although the organizers said that prayers are welcome and appreciated, A GoFundMe has been started to help the family.
The two other passengers who unfortunately died, Leese and Kendall, had just started growing grapes and restoring their old farmhouse hoping that one day they will open a winery.
According to The Detroit News, Kendall said that this was the level of quiet they were looking for.
Kendal said:
“Almost immediately after we pulled into the marina here, we knew this was the level of quiet we were looking for. At night, there’s almost complete silence here. There’s no light pollution. You can hear every car (if one goes by). It’s the kind of place we had been looking for as our next spot.”
Amanda Danielle Leese, Leese’s sister, told CNN that Kate and Adam were meant for each other. That they lived 20 lives in the time they knew each other and her sister Kate was larger than life.
Amanda shared:
“She wanted to experience the world. She wanted to taste it. She wanted to explore it and Adam was right there with her.”
The plane had been coming from Charlevoix, Michigan and until now, the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are still investigating the cause of the tragic crash.
Sources: westernjournal, Youtube/GMA , abcnews, abcnews.go, mirror, cnn, Facebook/ Smith Realty Group, Facebook/ University of Dallas, gofundme, detroitnews