Dale Earnhardt Jr. said his family is “truly blessed” that nobody was seriously injured when his plane crash-landed last week in Tennessee.
The retired NASCAR driver, now a television analyst, issued a statement Aug. 19 on social media praising the “quick response of my pilots, local law enforcement, emergency personnel and hospital staff.” He thanked people for their phone calls, messages of support, and prayers.
Investigators said the plane carrying Earnhardt and his family bounced multiple times during a crash-landing Aug. 15 in Elizabethton and veered off the runway before ending up on a highway. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause.
NEW: Video shows thick, black smoke rising from the site of a small plane crash that was carrying Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and his family. Everyone on board, including Earnhardt, escaped the wreck, said the local sheriff. https://t.co/2nqljR6C5C pic.twitter.com/noizctpZVk
— ABC News (@ABC) August 15, 2019
Earnhardt was with wife Amy, 15-month-old daughter Isla, two pilots, and the family dog. He was to have been part of NBC’s broadcast team for Saturday night’s Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The former race car driver said that he was thankful for the work his pilots did and also thanked law enforcement officers, emergency personnel, and staff at the hospital the five victims were taken to after the accident.
“Lastly, Amy and I continue to be very appreciative of the privacy extended to us to process everything,” Earnhardt said. “Is had been important to do that together and in our own time.”
On Aug. 15, the plane bounced twice after a “hard landing” before leaving the runway and smashing through a fence. After the five people on board exited, the plane caught on fire.
“When I got close to the airplane, the first person that I came in contact was Mr. Earnhardt. He was laying on his back, but, as far as his injuries, I’ll let his family handle that. But he was alert, fine and didn’t appear to have any cuts or abrasions. He was totally conscious and alert,” Carter County Sheriff Dexter Lunsford said at a press conference.
Video footage that was later released showed emergency responders treating Earnhardt immediately after the crash and the plane on fire.
Epoch Times reporter Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
