Lone survivor of McKinney plane crash remains in critical condition with 22 injuries
NORTH TEXAS – Despite his 22 injuries, the family of the lone survivor of a North Texas plane crash is holding on to hope.
Two men died, and 35-year-old Randy Williams remains at Parkland Memorial Hospital, where he clings to life.
The small plane crashed near McKinney National Airport on Thursday. National Transportation Safety Board members returned to the scene Friday.
Williams' family said he was in the ICU in critical condition Friday, but they're hopeful he'll pull through. He opened his eyes and squeezed their hands in the morning.
"It was just pure shock. Like, I couldn't believe it. It was just crazy. It's a very surreal thing to wrap your head around," Lauren Chaffee said.
Lauren Chaffee, Williams' sister, said he has a two-year-old son who is his life. The young father suffered nearly two dozen injuries in the crash.
"His arms are broken, his shoulder, his clavicle, his leg has a rod in it," Chaffee said. "This morning they woke him up and he could breathe on his own for about 20 minutes."
Cody Williams said doctors put his brother in a medically induced coma Friday so he can heal.
"His hips were crushed, and his pelvis is all broken up," Williams said.
The small plane crashed late Thursday morning near McKinney National Airport.
Williams' family said he and one of the people who died worked as mechanics at the airport and would often fly in the planes. The other victim worked as a pilot for Hunger Relief Ministries, which is based in Forney.
"Our hearts go out to the two other men in the plane that didn't make it," Williams said. "That's a whole other thing we're thinking about. We have Randy, but there's also two other families doing the exact same thing now that don't."
"He absolutely loves his job, and he's never really talked about any danger with it. It's very fulfilling for him," Dawn Price said.
Price, Williams' friend, started a GoFundMe page to help pay for his medical expenses and his family's stay in Dallas. Almost a dozen family members traveled to the area.
"He's a good man," Price said. "He's a great father. He's a great son. He would do anything for anybody."
Williams' family said he's expected to be in the hospital for at least another month and faces about a year of rehabilitation after that.
