Warbird Information Exchange

I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, and I'm not even sure this is the best forum for Phantom Society news, but the tour suffered a horrible accident this morning at Eglin AFB. Here's a link to the preliminary story, based solely on the sparce press release from Eglin (where I work).

http://www.nwfdailynews.com/articleArch ... rcrash.php

I had helped arrange some of the day's activities for the group and so I met the two buses at an overlook for some photography of the morning's flight ops.For some reason, a car left the road and collided with two Phantom Society members, who were standing perhaps 4 to 5 feet from the road's edge in anticipation of photographing the 33d TFW F-15s on the runway, which was separated from us by a four-lane undivided highway (Eglin Parkway, the main drag through base).

The first individual struck by the car was knocked down hard, taken to the hospital, and fortunately released later this afternoon on crutches.

Unfortunately, the car then veered off the road a second time, reentered the crowd line a bit farther down, and struck a second individual, severing his leg below the knee and sending him flying perhaps 80 feet, landing just in front of me and tumbling perhaps another 30 feet on the grass. Fortunately, another Phantom Society member (or maybe two?) had training as a paramedic, and we stayed with him, keeping him alert and doing whatever we could until the paramedics arrived, stabilized him, and life-flighted him to Baptist Hospital (a noted trauma center) in Pensacola.

I just called the hospital and some friends at the local paper: He is currently in critical (NOT serious, "critical" is one notch down from that, I just learned) after surgery at Baptist. I do not know if they were able to reattach the leg, nor do I know of other injuries he suffered other than those I witnessed.

I'm afraid that is all I know at the moment, and I will not speculate on any other causes, results, or assumptions. But I did want to send out this call for your support.Unfortunately, the airman driving the car--who had apparently just finished a night shift at the Eglin hospital--then careened into oncoming traffic, struck a USAF fuel truck and was killed instantly.

Please keep all involved in your thoughts and prayers.

I was with the father (Charlie) of Mark Birke who was involved with the accident & when Grady Broxton & myself left the hospital last night Mark was in stable condition with the loss of his right leg from the knee down, shattered pelvis, broken ribs, & dislocated left shoulder which that popped back in place. They did a CAT Scan & MRI & he had no serious internal injuries & no broken bones from his spine or neck or head injuries. His wife & 16 month old child & a brother-in-law & sisiter-in-law were flown in by a private Lear Jet about 4 in the afternoon & the family went in & saw Mark & he was doing OK under the circumstances. The AF got in touch with the Red Cross & they has 2 people there within minutes of the time when we got to the hospital with the father (father was on tour with us on the tour). Also the Navy sent a counselor to be with the family & they all were willing to do ANYTHING that the family needed. A big thanks to the AF & Navy for pulling together to help this family.

Monroe C. Smith