Car Seat Made Toddler Lone Plane Crash Survivor
Kate Williams, 3, hung upside down for five hours awaiting rescue.
Oct. 30, 2007 — -- A standard car seat may have helped save the 3-year-old lone survivor of a weekend plane crash in Canada.
Kate Williams' face was bruised and swollen when authorities discovered the young girl in the wreckage of her grandfather's Cessna plane Sunday. The small aircraft had gone down in the rugged terrain of British Columbia.
A business associate of the child's grandfather was also onboard when the plane dove nose first into the icy waters of Redburn Creek in Canada's Rocky Mountains en route to Edmonton, Alberta.
"It was apparent to the rescuers that two males onboard were deceased, however, a 3-year-old child was located in the back seat," said Sgt. Marko Shehovac of Golden Royal Canadian Mountain Police. "I think that the care in placing the child in [the car seat] -- that extra protection -- is what basically saved her life."
After the crash, the 3-year-old was suspended upside down for five hours as she awaited rescue. Searchers battled snow and fog until a helicopter spotted the plane's tail sticking out of the water.
The rescuers used ropes to maneuver their way to the wreckage where they located Williams. The toddler was so traumatized she refused to leave the scene without her teddy bear.
She clung tightly to the toy after the rescuers brushed it clean of snow. Amazingly, her injuries were minor and the hospital already has released her.
"A sad time for the family, but at the same time, it's a minor miracle," Shehovac said.
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