A bakery truck driver had a narrow escape from death when a United Airlines flight collided with his vehicle during its landing approach at Newark Airport. In a heart-stopping moment, he feared he might be decapitated just before the crash.
Warren Boardley Jr., employed by H&S Bakery in Baltimore, witnessed a sudden flash of light mere seconds before United Flight 169 clipped his truck on the New Jersey Turnpike, as recounted by his father.
“He was engulfed in sheer terror, convinced that he wouldn’t survive and might lose his head,” his father, Warren Boardley Sr., shared with the media at a press conference on Tuesday, according to WBAL reports.
The 39-year-old’s close brush with disaster was caught on dashcam, showing him glancing out the passenger window as the Boeing 767-400 descended onto the runway, making contact with his tractor-trailer.
“He saw a flash, instinctively ducked, and raised his hands, which is likely how he ended up hitting his head,” Boardley Sr. explained.
“A slight change in speed—either one mile per hour faster or slower—could have been fatal,” he added, emphasizing the close call.
“That alone shook me to my core, you know, to lose my son and to be able to see it, nobody wants to see it, no parent wants to see it.”
Officials said Boardley Jr., who has since been transported back to Baltimore, suffered minimal injuries in the crash, but his father added there may be some underlying brain issues.
“He has some physical injuries, he’s sore all over, of course, due to the impact that plane hit that truck,” Boardley Sr. said.
“His mental and emotional status is coming. We have to get him looked at because that was a traumatic experience.”
Family attorney J. Wyndal Gordon described Boardley Jr.’s injuries as “blunt-force trauma to the head” adding that he may have suffered a form of “closed-head trauma,” but further evaluation is needed.
“Warren Jr. is in acute distress, he’s suffering severe pain and he’s doing his best to relax at home,” Gordon said.
The elder Boardley celebrated the fact is son survived the crash and that his family wasn’t planning a funeral.
“Today could’ve been the day we were mourning his loss, but instead our prayers and everything have been heard,” he said. “I’ve never known anyone that walked away from something like that. He feels the same way.”
Gordon is waiting to hear back from United and airport officials to start the process of learning what caused the plane to strike Boardley’s truck.
“We expect that there’s some negligence there because planes don’t just don’t drop out of the sky and they just don’t ordinarily and routinely hit 18-wheelers traveling along the New Jersey Turnpike,” Gordon said.
“We expect some negligence there, but we’re not just gonna file a lawsuit without having all of the facts,” the lawyer added. “So in terms of litigation, we’re nowhere near there.”
The United flight, which was on final approach after flying 9 hours from Venice, Italy, was attempting a “visual landing” on Runway 29, a difficult maneuver because of the position of the short runway, nonstandard guidance lights and crosswinds.
The plane struck the truck and a light pole, sending Boardley Jr. crashing into a concrete barrier.
The United flight, carrying 221 passengers and 10 crew members, landed safely on the infamous runway.
