POMPANO BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Several people were left with next to nothing after a Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue helicopter crashed into their apartment complex. Now, they’re making a plea for help as they deal with the devastating loss.
Even before Terran Vandiver began speaking to 7News, his eyes looked skyward as he heard a familiar sound overhead.
“The helicopter that just passed, those are things, the triggers that we now have to deal with as a family now,” Vandiver said.
On Aug. 28, a BSFR helicopter caught fire, lost control and plummeted into their apartment building, which killed a BSFR Battalion Chief and a woman who lived next door to the Vandivers.
“I was getting ready for work, my little brother, he had the day off, he was sleeping in the living room,” he said. “We didn’t expect it. It was like a bomb that went off. It was like World War III for a while.”
Their sister said both her brothers climbed out a window.
But now, three weeks later, they are still without a place to live. The family doesn’t have any of their belongings, including their identification.
“If you get a good look at the home, it looks like a bomb went off in it, and that’s how we felt, and the reality of it, vehicles falling out of the sky, and it caused the reality of where we are homeless right now,” Vandiver said.
“We want to thank everybody for the outpouring of support and everything they were able to do so far with temporary housing, temporary food and temporary clothing,” said Rick Ellsley, the family’s attorney.
The family has been staying at a hotel but their time there will end in about 10 days.
“We are starting from point zero,” Vandiver said.
There is one blessing for the family: The urns of both their late mother and late brother were retrieved. Although they were damaged, they are intact.
“We can continue living,” Vandiver said. “We are proof that miracles are happening. But we are here and we have purpose, we have breath and everybody can carry that out.”
The family was told that they may get access to the crash site on Tuesday to see if they can salvage any items.
A GoFundMe was created by the family to assist with living expenses. If you’d like to donate, click here.
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