ADVERTISEMENT
Survivors spoke of the aftermath in disjointed, fragmented memories. One man recalled climbing out of a shattered window and realizing the ground was far below where it should have been. A woman described holding a stranger’s hand for nearly an hour in the dark, both injured, whispering reassurances they weren’t sure were true. Another survivor said the silence after the initial chaos was almost worse than the noise—a heavy, broken quiet, punctuated only by distant cries.
Mental health professionals warned that the psychological impact of the crash would linger long after physical injuries healed. Survivors might face nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety, and survivor’s guilt. Families who lost loved ones must grapple with grief made all the more painful by its suddenness and violence. Even emergency responders would carry the weight of what they had witnessed and done that night.
ADVERTISEMENT
