Tourist dies after departing plane’s jet blast blows her away
- 7 years ago
MAHO BEACH, SINT MAARTEN — A New Zealand woman vacationing by the beach had her life cut short when a commercial plane jet engine literally blew her away.
On July 12, the 57-year-old woman was at Maho Beach, waiting for a plane to take off by the fenced area surrounding Juliana International Airport. People are known to regularly crowd the area looking to feel the full power of a jet blast from departing planes. Along the fence, there are warning signs posted to deter them from doing so.
Around 6 p.m., a Boeing 737 took flight overhead. Though she clung to the fence for dear life, the overwhelming blast of the jet engine knocked her to pavement, and rendered her unconscious. Witnesses tried desperately to bring her back to life, but her injuries were too severe to overcome. She was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
The island’s director of tourism spoke with the woman’s family, who acknowledged had they heeded the warning signs, the tragedy never would have occurred.
On July 12, the 57-year-old woman was at Maho Beach, waiting for a plane to take off by the fenced area surrounding Juliana International Airport. People are known to regularly crowd the area looking to feel the full power of a jet blast from departing planes. Along the fence, there are warning signs posted to deter them from doing so.
Around 6 p.m., a Boeing 737 took flight overhead. Though she clung to the fence for dear life, the overwhelming blast of the jet engine knocked her to pavement, and rendered her unconscious. Witnesses tried desperately to bring her back to life, but her injuries were too severe to overcome. She was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
The island’s director of tourism spoke with the woman’s family, who acknowledged had they heeded the warning signs, the tragedy never would have occurred.