Kyle and Amanda Franklin Hurt In Airshow Crash

Re: Kyle and Amanda Franklin burned in crash at airshow

Hacker15e said:
...if you exclude the fact that she would have been outright killed if she had been up on top of the wing when they landed in the field.
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Bingo. There is a youtube of a woman taking a wing-walking ride on the top wing of a Tiger Moth. She was strapped onto the wing for take-off and all was well - until the engine quit at a couple hundred feet. Perhaps the most sickening clip on youtube and I refuse to link to it - but you get an idea of what can happen.
 
Re: Kyle and Amanda Franklin burned in crash at airshow

Here's the latest. Really sad deal but in my opinion the correct call by far. These kinds of burns, the ensuing infections are a real long-shot anyway, and when the blood stops coagulating it really is game-over. Very difficult decision but the humane one. Hopefully she is in comfort. I used to see Jim (her Grandpa) and Bob (her great-uncle) at Blakesburg every year, and saw Jim and Bobby a couple weeks before his crash at a fly-in. I ache for all involved but Jim Younkin is an incredibly good-spirited man. Highly intelligent, a true craftsman, and always willing to lend a hand to help someone - whether they have a Cub or an exotic piece of machinery - he's just a gentleman with a very generous spirit. After losing his son, and soon his granddaughter my heart goes out to him.

Amanda had a really hard day. During dressing change this morning she started bleeding really bad and they had a hard time stoping it. Her body has gotten to the point that if you touch her or even look at her wrong she starts bleeding and her blood is not coagulating. Her wounds today looked more infected then the last three days and the antibiotics don't seem to be doing much. Her kidneys have almost completely shut down, her liver is starting to fail and she looks like she was still in a lot of pain. The doctors believe she wouldn't make it another two weeks in time for the EpiCels much less the procedure and I have to agree after seeing her wounds. So, I made the hardest decision of my life today and put her on Comfort Care. They have taken her off most everything with the exception of the ventilator, sedation meds and pain meds. They placed her in a more comfortable position and are doing everything to make her as comfortable as possible.

I believe at this point this is what she would want me to do. I also believe if she did pull through at this point she would kill me for it, a month ago I would have said otherwise. This is a decision I never in my life would have thought I would have to make nor ever wanted too. But, I don't want her to go through another four weeks of hell when we know it will do no good. We do not have a time table on things, most likely a day or two. I will continue to keep you all updated.

Know that she is not alone her mom, brother and his wife, my mother, myself and all of you in spirit are here with her. I feel Amanda will be very happy to see her dad, my dad and of corse Jackson again. But the hardest thing is she's leaving us all behind, till another day.

Amanda my love, I love you with all my heart, soul and everything I am. Our life together here was supposed to be seventy years not seven, but I look forward to seeing you in my dreams every night my love.

Thank you all for your love, support and help through all this.

Goodnight and God bless,

Kyle
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Re: Kyle and Amanda Franklin burned in crash at airshow

I saw them at OSH in 09 and was really impressed and entertained with the routine. This is not the news I was expecting. Very sad news.
 
That's truly tragic. I've been following his posting through FB, and it appeared things were looking up.
 
Do find some comfort here though - these burns are horrifically painful like nothing any of us have experienced. Add to that the infections. Add to that the broken bones she received (very painful, but minor in comparison to the burns). If all had gone well she would have been in for an incredibly painful existence for a long time, and then the trauma of being disfigured - for such a beautiful girl - would have been its own set of psychological problems. Sad for Kyle and the family and friends, but truly the most peaceful and humane option for her.
 
That's terrible.. Very hard to read. I met both Kyle and Amanda at an airshow in my hometown in October.. They were a great couple. I think he's making the right decision, it's very hard to watch somebody go down like that. Even after my short stint in the air ambulance industry I have a lot more respect for the decisions that people make for their loved ones.. Really makes you realize how good life is until a tragic event takes it all away!
 
Very sad indeed. Re: Burns, I just finished "Nine Minutes Twenty Seconds" about the ASA Brasilia crash back in the 90s...I suppose I knew in the abstract how horrifying severe burns are, but that REALLY brought it home. Like Waco, I sort of suspect that this was the humane option. Terrible.
 
Wow. That was a sad story to read on my lunch hour. It kind of hits home a little being similar in age, and id hate to have to ever make that decision.

That said, I agree with Waco.

Condolences to the families, and all involved.
 
WacoFan said:
Do find some comfort here though - these burns are horrifically painful like nothing any of us have experienced. Add to that the infections. Add to that the broken bones she received (very painful, but minor in comparison to the burns). If all had gone well she would have been in for an incredibly painful existence for a long time, and then the trauma of being disfigured - for such a beautiful girl - would have been its own set of psychological problems. Sad for Kyle and the family and friends, but truly the most peaceful and humane option for her.
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All very true.

Doug/Kristie - thoughts on a group donation for Kyle and the family?
 
So sad.

I have a good friend that was burned in a natural gas explosion. If I never see the inside of a burn unit again it will be too soon. Those levels of pain and suffering are almost incomprehensible to me.
 
XLR99 said:
All very true.

Doug/Kristie - thoughts on a group donation for Kyle and the family?
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You know, there are so many places to donate to them - ICAS for one - that I'm not sure a website they never frequented is really worth the trouble when you can go to any number of other places.
 
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