Passenger in Sask. plane crash dies
FOND-DU-LAC, Sask. — A disabled man injured in a plane crash in northern Saskatchewan has died in hospital.
The family of Arson Fern Jr. announced his death on a GoFundMe page set up after the Dec. 13 crash near the remote community of Fond-du-Lac.
“Arson Jr. is no longer with us,” said the post. “May he rest in peace.”
A photo of Fern lying in a Saskatoon hospital bed, surrounded by relatives, accompanied the post. It said the 19-year-old, who had cerebral palsy, suffered broken legs, a broken pelvis, internal bleeding and a collapsed lung. He died on Christmas Day. The West Wind Aviation turboprop with 25 people on board went down shortly after taking off from the Fond-du-Lac airstrip. It left a path of wreckage almost a quarter of a kilometre long.
Everyone on board was rescued, but seven people were seriously injured.
The Transportation Safety Board continues to look for the cause of the crash, but has ruled out engine failure.
Transport Canada has also grounded the airline, citing deficiencies in the company’s operational control system.
Fern’s parents wrote on the GoFundMe page that they were taking him to a medical appointment in Prince Albert when the plane crashed.
“He was so happy to go on the plane … he was all smiles,” they wrote.