GREENACRES, Fla. — A Greenacres mother says her family lost their home after a deadly Learjet 60 crash Sunday sent flames and burning debris onto their property. Days later, Stephanie Platts told WPTV she is grateful her family escaped but is now turning to the community for help as they try to rebuild.
“It was absolute chaos,” Platts said. “There was a lot of fire, a lot of debris, a lot of screaming.”
Family rushed to safety as flames spread
Platts told WPTV she was home with her family when the jet crashed just yards away.
“We didn’t have time to think, we didn’t have time to process it,” Platts said. “The only thing that we had time to do was get to safety.”
Platts said she didn't immediately understand what had happened until she encountered the flames.
“I didn’t realize that it was an actual explosion until I was faced with flames,” she said.
She described large pieces of burning debris hitting the roof of her home as the fire spread.
“There were giant chunks of debris that were on fire that pelted my roof,” Platts said.
Her home was devastated by the fire, leaving her family displaced. Platts also says she suffered a burn to her foot during the chaos, leaving it swollen.
Greenacres mother asks community for help
Now, Platts is trying to figure out how her family can move forward and eventually return home.
“I want to be able to go back home and enjoy the holidays coming around,” she said.
Platts told WPTV that Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Palm Beach has assisted her while she temporarily stays at the Greenacres Community Center.
A GoFundMe has also been set up to support Platts after the crash.
Help Stephanie Platts through the GoFundMe
Remembering the lives lost
Even as she copes with losing her home, Platts said she is thinking about the nine lives lost in the crash just steps from where her family lived.
“It’s very heartbreaking for me,” Platts said. “But at the same time, it could have been worse. But every life is important. It doesn’t matter if it was nine or 100, it’s still a life.”
Platts said the tragedy has changed how she looks at life.
“Life is very short and it can change instantaneously,” she said.
Her message to others is simple: “Just embrace it and enjoy it because you don’t know what’s gonna happen tomorrow.”
Crews continue to investigate the deadly crash.
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