A medical transport jet transporting a child who had just completed treatment for a life-threatening condition, her mother and four others crashed into a Philadelphia neighborhood shortly after takeoff Friday evening, exploding in a fireball that engulfed several homes.
Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, which operated the Learjet 55, said in a statement: “We cannot confirm any survivors.” There was no immediate word whether anyone on the ground was killed, but at least six people were treated for injuries at a hospital.
If it’s any consolation, the blast was so large and so quick that I doubt anyone on board felt anything past fear and confusion.
I understand the sentiment here, so this isn’t directed at you, but I’ve never understood the at least they didn’t physically suffer idea. Sudden fear and confusion right before death is awful.
Given the situation, the fear and confusion was a given. The instant death is a mercy. They could have had the fear and confusion, then slowly burned to death with bones too broken to undo their seatbelts.
Because it’s death. The best case scenario is no or limited anticipation, with no physical pain or suffering. The alternative is taking several minutes, hours, or days to die, with each breath being agony. “At least” pretty directly says it is the least you could hope for, given the circumstances.
Think about all of the times where you’ve been scared instantly but things turned out alright. It would be exactly the same, except there’s nothing after it.