Heroic passengers tried to save woman during Southwest tragedy

Heroic passengers tried to save woman during Southwest tragedy

As passenger recounts begin to flood after yesterday’s the Southwest airlines tragedy, it’s becoming clear that the pilot wasn’t the only hero of the day.

That’s not to discount her efforts, Tammie Jo Shults, a former fighter jet pilot in the US Navy who has been described as having “nerves of steel” by one passenger, has been applauded by many for her calm and level of expertise.

“This is a true American Hero,” one passenger wrote on Facebook according to the Guardian.

ABC News US reports that one retired nurse among the passengers on the flight tried to save the life of a woman who was sucked out the window of the flight after it was smashed by shrapnel following an engine explosion.

“I did what any registered nurse would do,” Peggy Phillips told ABC News US.

Phillips said she heard an “incredibly loud noise” about 20 minutes after takeoff from New York, followed by shaking in the cabin and oxygen masks dropping from the ceiling.

The passenger who was partially sucked out of the plane, Jennifer Riordan, a New Mexico bank executive and mother of two, had been pulled back into the plane by two other passengers by the time Phillips got to her.

She immediately began administering CPR, ignoring the pilot’s warnings to brace for an emergency landing.

Despite the efforts of her fellow passengers, Riordan died of blunt force trauma to the head, neck and torso, ABC News US reports.

A statement from her family describes Riordan’s “vibrancy and passion and love” she infused in her community.

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