Jaren Newman and his family.Photo:GoFundMe
GoFundMe
A dad who died in a southern California plane crash on the Fourth of July was looking out for his sons, who somehow survived the ordeal, according to their mother.
Jared Newman, 39, was piloting the single-engine Cessna 172 on Tuesday when itcrashednear the French Valley Airport, Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department spokeswoman Tawny Castro said, according toPatch.com.
National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson Jennifer Gabris tells PEOPLE the pilot “was newly certified” as a private pilot on June 19.
AGoFundMe campaignstated that Newman was the pilot in Tuesday’s crash and the three passengers were identified as his sons. All three boys — Connor, Caleb and Elijah — “miraculously” survived and are currently in “stable” condition at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, per the fundraiser.
One victim had minor injuries, a second had moderate injuries, and a third had serious injuries, according to theCAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department.
“[Jared] made sure he protected over them and brought them safely to me,” she added, “That is all I could ever ever want in life.”
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The fixed-wing, single-engine Cessna involved in Tuesday’s crash wasbuilt in 1978and registered to California Professional Flyers Inc., according to the FAA.
Both the NTSB and FAA areinvestigating, according to CAL FIRE.
The wreckage has since been moved to a secure facility in Chino, California, and was examined on Thursday, an NTSB spokesperson tells PEOPLE. A preliminary report about the crash is expected to be published in three weeks, though the full investigation will take up to two years to complete.
Connor and Caleb were both alert as of Wednesday morning, their mother shared on the GoFundMe page.
Caleb sustained a broken clavicle, pulmonary bruising, lacerations and black eyes as a result of the crash but did not experience any significant head trauma, she said. Meanwhile, Connor underwent surgery “to put a rod in” his broken femur and sew up his wounds, Megan shared.
Her son Elijah’s injuries are more serious, she shared. The boy has a broken jaw, a lacerated liver, and “more significant” pulmonary bruises than Caleb. He was intubated at the hospital, “but only to give his body a break.”
As of Friday afternoon, the campaign has raised over $50,000 for the family.
source: people.com
