The
doctor who helped treat Harrison Ford after his vintage plane
crash-landed on a California golf course on Thursday described the
moment he recognized it was the world famous actor slumped over in the
cockpit injured, but conscious.
'He was stunned a bit,' said spinal surgeon Sanjay Khurana. 'He was moaning and in pain.'
'It
was obvious by his face, it was Harrison Ford. I'm old enough, or young
enough, to have watched all his 'Star Wars' films. So, it was obvious,'
Khurana told ABC News.
Dr.
Khurana was golfing next to Santa Monica Airport when he saw the plane
'belly flop' and rushed to the fairway where it came to rest.
First on the scene: Luckily for
Harrison Ford Dr. Khurana was playing a round of golf on the course and
rushed to aid the stricken Hollywood superstar
Medical response: Dr. Khurana is seen
standing over Harrison Ford who is being tended to by paramedics in the
moments immediately after his plane crash
First responders: Celebrity website TMZ reported that Ford suffered multiple gashes to his head and was bleeding profusely
Care: Paramedics work on Harrison
Ford, who has both his legs arched as he lays on the ground - a good
sign according to medical professionals as it indicates alertness and
control
He
told TV stations in Los Angeles and GMA that aside from worrying about
Ford's injuries from the impact, he saw fuel leaking out of the World
War II-era plane.
He and other golfers pulled Ford from the wreckage. Others threw dirt on the fuel so it wouldn't catch fire.
Along with his friends who were golfing, Dr. Khurana pulled Ford from the wreckage as the smell of gasoline filled the air.
'We
wanted to get him out safely and with the fuel leaking out, I motioned
to some of the other folks at the golf course to put dirt on the fuel so
it wouldn’t combust,' he said to CBS News.
'I just wanted to get him out safely so that the situation wouldn’t erupt into a fire.'
The
72-year-old actor, who has been a licensed pilot for nearly two
decades, fell into difficulties during his afternoon flight and realized
he was unable to make the runway at Santa Monica Airport, so picked a
long green at the nearby Penmar golf course to land out of the way of
the congested neighborhood.
Ford saved lives by his heroic swerving of the plane away from people's homes, witnesses said.
Eddie Aguglia, who was playing golf at the time, told NBC:
'Looking at where he crashed and how the plane went down, I'm sure
there was a moment where he said, ''I'm not going to risk lives,
whatever happens, happens. It's going to be just me.'''
After
plunging 3,000ft and hitting a tree on the way down, Ford was rushed
from the scene bleeding heavily from a head wound and suffering a broken
ankle and pelvis.
Crash land: Actor Harrison Ford was
rushed to the hospital on Thursday after crashing a vintage plane on a
Venice, California golf course
Engine failure:
In air traffic control audio, a clam Ford said that his engine failed as
he asked for permission to land. He didn't make it to the airport, and
instead landed at nearby Penmar golf course
Hospitalized: Authorities initially
reported that Ford was taken to the hospital in critical condition, but
his condition was later downgraded to fair to moderate
Ford crashed into the Penmar golf
course (left) after appearing to veer off course from the runway (right)
in order to avoid homes in between
His injuries were described only as 'moderate' and he is expected to make a full recovery.
'At
the hospital. Dad is ok. Battered, but ok! He is every bit the man you
would think he is. He is an incredibly strong man,' his son Ben Ford
tweeted just two hours after the crash. 'Thank you all for your thoughts
and good vibes for my dad.'
Ford's publicist Ina Treciokas said on Thursday that the actor had no other choice but to make an emergency landing.
In
a statement, she said: 'Harrison was flying a WW2 vintage plane today
which stalled upon takeoff. He had no other choice but to make an
emergency landing, which he did safely.
'He was banged up and is in the hospital receiving medical care.'
She added his injuries 'are not life threatening, and he is expected to make a full recovery'.
The fact that Ford escaped the crash with just a few injuries is not surprising to those who have flown with him.
Ford
first started flying in the 1960s, but didn't have the money or time
for regular lessons until later in life - becoming a licensed pilot in
1996.
Seasoned aviator: Ford, who has been flying planes since the 1960s, was the only person in the plane at the time of the crash
Crash site:
Firefighters who responded to the crash scene say Ford was alert and
conscious when they pulled him from the World War II-era plane
'Harrison's
been a great pilot. You can see by the fact that he survived this
forced landing that he is a skilled aviator,' Paul Mitton, who produced a
documentary about Ford's love of flying, told CNN.
'Just looking at the crash site, you see the trees nearby there's a tree not too far behind the aircraft.
'Had
the wing clipped that, the airplane could have spun around, he could
have been ejected, he could have ended up upside down. That would have
been bad,' Mitton added.
Aviation
expert Rick Dake told People that Ford's landing was amazing
considering the unforgiving nature of the World War II-era plane.
'Everything he did was perfect,' Dake, of Aviation Consulting Experts, told People.
He
says less-experienced pilots training on the plane during World War II
would often crash because the plane tended to flip when the engine
fails.
'That
alone is testament to the great ability Harrison Ford had. He made a
180-degree turn with the engine seizing up on him. He almost made it to
the runway,' Dake said.
'He
was able to keep that plane away from the houses and land it with the
least impact on the community. That was the best place he could have
landed it.
'He was 100 per cent doing exactly what an excellent aviator would do.'
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