The bakery truck driver who narrowly escaped loss of life when a United Airways flight struck his automobile whereas coming into land at Newark Airport believed he was about to be decapitated moments earlier than the terrifying crash.
Warren Boardley Jr., who. who works for the Baltimore-based H&S Bakery, witnessed a flash of sunshine seconds earlier than the United 169 clipped his truck as he drove alongside the New Jersey Turnpike on Sunday afternoon, his father revealed.
“He described concern, whole concern that he wouldn’t stroll away from it, that he could be decapitated. That’s what he thought,” Boardley’s father, Warren Boardley Sr., advised reporters throughout a press convention on Tuesday, in line with WBAL.
The 39-year-old driver was captured on dashcam video looking his passenger aspect because the Boeing 767-400 approached the runway and hit his tractor-trailer.
“He mentioned he seen a flash and it made him duck and put up his arms, and in doing so, that’s how I imagine he struck his head,” Boardley Sr. mentioned.
“Had he been going one mile per hour sooner, or one mile per hour slower, it will have greater than doubtless killed him, greater than doubtless.
“That alone shook me to my core, , to lose my son and to have the ability to see it, no person desires to see it, no mum or dad desires to see it.”
Officers mentioned Boardley Jr., who has since been transported again to Baltimore, suffered minimal accidents within the crash, however his father added there could also be some underlying mind points.
“He has some bodily accidents, he’s sore throughout, in fact, as a result of affect that aircraft hit that truck,” Boardley Sr. mentioned.
“His psychological and emotional standing is coming. We have now to get him checked out as a result of that was a traumatic expertise.”
Household lawyer J. Wyndal Gordon described Boardley Jr.’s accidents as “blunt-force trauma to the top” including that he could have suffered a type of “closed-head trauma,” however additional analysis is required.
“Warren Jr. is in acute misery, he’s struggling extreme ache and he’s doing his finest to calm down at house,” Gordon mentioned.
The elder Boardley celebrated the actual fact is son survived the crash and that his household wasn’t planning a funeral.
“At present might’ve been the day we had been mourning his loss, however as a substitute our prayers and the whole lot have been heard,” he mentioned. “I’ve by no means identified anybody that walked away from one thing like that. He feels the identical means.”
Gordon is ready to listen to again from United and airport officers to begin the method of studying what brought on the aircraft to strike Boardley’s truck.
“We count on that there’s some negligence there as a result of planes don’t simply don’t drop out of the sky and so they simply don’t ordinarily and routinely hit 18-wheelers touring alongside the New Jersey Turnpike,” Gordon mentioned.
“We count on some negligence there, however we’re not simply gonna file a lawsuit with out having all the information,” the lawyer added. “So when it comes to litigation, we’re nowhere close to there.”
The United flight, which was on ultimate strategy after flying 9 hours from Venice, Italy, was making an attempt a “visible touchdown” on Runway 29, a tough maneuver due to the place of the quick runway, nonstandard steerage lights and crosswinds.
The aircraft struck the truck and a lightweight pole, sending Boardley Jr. crashing right into a concrete barrier.
The United flight, carrying 221 passengers and 10 crew members, landed safely on the notorious runway.
