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UPDATE: Video: Nine Dead, Over 50 Injured At Reno Air Show Crash
By
Ben Yakas
Published Sep 17, 2011
Modified Sep 17, 2011
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Sep 17, 2011
Modified Sep 17, 2011
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Three people were killed and 56 were injured after a World War II-era fighter plane flown by a veteran Hollywood stunt pilot crashed into the grandstands at the Reno Air Races in Nevada yesterday. "It's just like a massacre. It's like a bomb went off," Dr. Gerald Lent told the Reno Gazette-Journal. Watch some amateur video of the crash below. [UPDATE BELOW]
Witnesses say that 74-year-old Jimmy Leeward, who was piloting the P-51 fighter called The Galloping Ghost, was on his third lap of a race when he lost control. It spiraled out of control suddenly and appeared to disintegrate upon impact. "There are people lying all over the runway. One guy was cut in half. There's blood everywhere. There's arms and legs. One guy just said, 'Hey, there's another foot over here,'" said Lent of the bloody scene.
Stephanie Kruse, a spokeswoman for the Regional Emergency Medical Service Authority, said: "This is a very large incident, probably one of the largest this community has seen in decades. The community is pulling together to try to deal with the scope of it." She added that of the 56 injuries, 15 were considered in critical condition, 13 were serious condition with potentially life-threatening injuries and 28 were non-serious or non-life-threatening. You can see more pictures of the tragedy here.
Update: The death count has now been raised to nine.
Tagged
air show crash
crash
death
injuries
nevada
reno
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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