MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, FLA. (WSVN) - Several passengers are taking legal action after a fiery crash landing at a South Florida Airport.
Victims who were inside the burning plane that crash-landed at a Miami International Airport runway spoke out on their firsthand experience.
“Everything’s on fire,” said Anabella Perez.
“It was violently shaking, shaking, shaking,” said Camila DeStefano. “I close my eyes and I was holding my cousin’s hand, like really hard. I was telling her that I was really scared. I’m like, ‘I’m really scared. I’m really scared.'”
A pair of cousins, ages 15 and 19 years old, were on board a Red Air flight from Santo Domingo to Miami when it caught fire during its landing. The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed the airliner experienced a collapse of its left main landing gear before it skidded off Runway 9.
Perez had one of the worst injuries, as the 126 people on board scrambled to get off.
“I just fell off the plane,” said Perez.
Perez said she blacked out before trying to get down near the plane’s emergency slide, but the next thing she knew, she said she was on MIA’s grass near the runway.
As she tried to get up, she heard…
“The plane’s gonna explode,” said Perez. “I was just dragging myself with my hands, trying to drag myself through the grass, just trying to get away from the plane, because I was like, a few feet away from it since I fell from it.”
She said she really believed the plane was going to explode which led to her crawling while injured.
“This guy’s like, ‘Come on, let’s run. Like, the plane’s going to explode,'” said DeStefano.
The plane never exploded, but the panic from startled passengers was real. DeStefano tried to help Perez. Luckily, fire rescue stepped in and carried her away to safety.
Perez is seen in photos being comforted by another passenger before an ambulance took her and several others to Jackson Hospital. She is now on crutches and scheduled for surgery to repair a torn ACL, meniscus and fractured tibia. Her cousin’s legs are also bruised from her rushed exit.
“I thought we were going to die,” said DeStefano.
“It’s a disaster. This airline is a disaster,” said attorney Judd Rosen.
Rosen is going after Red Air legally. He said he has more clients with what he calls “horrific” accounts of their flight and that their stories will play out in court.
“We’re gonna sue ’em,” said Rosen. “You’ve got the hard landing. You’ve got the fire. You’ve got the broken bones. Where is the airline? Has anyone from the airline even stepped up to the plate and accepted any accountability?”
Red Air has not returned 7News’ request for comment.
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