A North Georgia woman has spent nearly 40 days away from home after surviving a plane crash that killed three of her coworkers.
Brittany Whitener, who is recovering at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, spoke to Channel 2 Action News about the experience — and how the plane ride came about.
“I don’t remember how we landed, how we hit or anything,” Whitener said. “We could see the runway because it was lit up, and that’s the last thing I remember.”
The single-engine Piper plane crashed near Blairsville Municipal Airport on Dec. 19 just after 7:30 p.m., Union County officials said.
The crash killed 56-year-old Robert Atkinson, 55-year-old Renea Greiner and 50-year-old Michelle Seay, all Blairsville residents. It’s under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration.
Whitener was flown to a nearby hospital in critical condition.
The victims were nurses and a pharmacist who were well known in the community.
Whitener told the news station she was excited to go on the trip that night, her second-ever plane ride.
“It was out of the blue,” she said. “Let’s go on a night flight and look at Christmas lights, and like, yeah!”
After the wreck, she said, “the next thing I know I was hollering and I could see the rescuers in the woods.”
She said learning about her colleagues’ deaths was emotional, but their families have made sure she doesn’t feel guilty for being the sole survivor.
“Those were my best friends,” she said.
For now, Whitener is hopeful she will walk again after her treatment at the Shepherd Center.
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