Retired nurse helped critically injured Southwest passenger

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Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Retired nurse helped Southwest victim
Retired nurse who helped Southwest victim: Katherine Scott reports during Action News Mornings on April 18, 2018.

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A retired nurse who was on the ill-fated Southwest Airlines flight that made an emergency landing in Philadelphia Tuesday is describing the terrifying incident, and her efforts to help save the most seriously injured passenger.[br /][br /]Peggy Phillips said she rushed to the aid of [url HREF="http://6abc.com/new-mexico-mourns-bank-executive-killed-on-southwest-plane/3358801/" TARGET="blank" REL=""]Jennifer Riordan[/url], who was partially pulled out of the airplane after an engine failure led to one of the jet's windows shattering.[br /][Ads /][br /]"It happened so fast," said Phillips.[br /][br /][media ID="3359230" /][br /][br /]Soon after takeoff, she said, passengers heard a loud noise, and the plane began to shake.[br /][br /]"I had a moment, when the masks dropped down, when I thought, 'Okay. This might be it. This might be it,'" Phillips told reporters.[br /][br /][media ID="3359208" /][br /][br /]Riordan, a bank executive and mother of two from New Mexico, lost her life on Flight 1380.[br /][br /]Passengers say she was pulled out of the plane from the waist up before two fellow passengers pulled her back in.[br /][Ads /][br /]Phillips, a retired registered school nurse, heard the commotion a few rows behind her. She heard a rush of air then the call for anyone who knew CPR.[br /][br /]"If you can possibly imagine going through the window of an airplane at about 600 miles an hour and hitting either the fuselage or the wing with your body - with your face - then I think I can probably tell you there was significant trauma," said Phillips.[br /][br /][media ID="3356563" /][br /][br /]Phillips and an EMT performed CPR on Riordan for more than 20 minutes, all the way through the emergency landing in Philadelphia. But Riordan did not survive.[br /][br /]As the investigation continues, Phillips says she is grateful for the pilot, crew and her fellow passengers.[br /][br /][post ID="3356574[br /]" /][br /]"There are a lot of really thoughtful and heroic things that went on during the flight," she said. "I can honestly say I was very proud of everyone that was involved in this."[br /][Ads /][br /]Seven additional passengers were treated for minor injuries.[br /][br /][media ID="3358733" /][br /][br /]------[br /][b][url HREF="http://6abc.cm/2BucH0r" TARGET="blank" REL=""]Send a News Tip to Action News[/url][/b][br /][b][url HREF="http://6abc.cm/2Gcv09s" TARGET="blank" REL=""]Learn More About 6abc Apps[/url][/b]