Plane Crash in Kenya Narrowly Survived by Local Filmmakers
Give A Damn? poverty documentary filmmakers survive plan crash in Nairobi, Kenya, with critical injuries, plane engineer fighting for life pilot died on impact
Plane crash survived by Dan Parris and Rob Lehr of Speak Up Productions International.
Photo: William Oeri
Who: St. Louis suburbanite filmmakers Dan Parris, 25, Manchester, Missouri, USA; Rob Lehr, 26, Ballwin, Missouri, USA; David Peterka, 25, Manchester, Missouri, USA; cameraman Tim Peterka 30, Kirkwood, Missouri, USA; of Speak Up International and flight engineer Ryan and pilot Frank Nairobi, Kenya.
What and When: At approximately 3 p.m. August 1, 2009 Nairobi, Kenya time (7 a.m. St. Louis) a single engine plane carrying Give A Damn? poverty documentary filmmakers Dan Parris and Rob Lehr struck an electrical transmission pole spinning the plane around to crash into a building before falling an estimated three-stories to a crash landing in Nyayo Highrise Estate, Nairobi, Kenya. Lehr narrowly escaped, freeing Parris, and flight engineer Ryan before the plane burst into flames. The pilot was killed on impact. Parris and Lehr were rushed to Nairobi hospital with critical injuries and are currently recovering in hospital. The flight engineer was also rushed to the hospital with potentially fatal injuries. The filmmakers contracted the plane to gain aerial footage of Kibera, the largest slum in Africa, for the Give A Damn? documentary film they are in the process of making. Fellow film crew members David and Tim Peterka stayed behind when they learned the plane only had room for two passengers.
mobile phone footage of the crash: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWtZhfau6fs
Lehr sustained cuts and brushes from the crash. Lehr also sustained serve burns while pulling an unconscious Parris from the wreckage and freeing the flight engineer from his seat belt. A by-stander pulled Lehr and the flight engineer from the wreckage only minutes before the plane exploded. Parris is under going tests with a presumed broken collar bone and potentially broken hip.
All of the Give A Damn? film equipment, save one small handheld camera and footage previously sent back to the U.S., was destroyed in the plane explosion. Regardless the crew is planning to press on with their mission in the ways they can. Lehr plans to stay at the Nairobi Hospital with Parris for the next few days until the two can return home to St. Louis, Missouri, once Parris is stable enough to travel.The Peterka bothers are tending to their friends first and contemplating staying on in Africa to continue the filming work. Throughout this harrowing experience each continued to talk about the goal of the film to expose extreme poverty, its causes and why we should all give a damn.
Live interviews with Lehr, Parris and Tim Peterka after the crash were recorded and will be available to listen to on their blog site later today (August 1, 2009). http://www.conversantlife.com/blogs/give+a+damn We are working to secure the additional footage of the crash and additional pictures – this and additional information will be posted here as it is available.
Why: The Give A Damn? documentary team began their journey under the Arch in St. Louis, Missouri on July 4th, 2009. After spending the night with St. Louis homeless the crew began hitchhiking to Africa, voluntarily, to film and experience poverty living on a $1.25 a day. They successfully hitchhiked across America to New York City, flew to London, England taking a ferry to mainland Europe. The crew hitchhiked across Europe jumped a ferry to Cairo, Egypt, and flew to Kenya. Once in Kenya the team planned to hitchhike through East Africa with stops in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. The mission is to live in extreme poverty in the U.S., Europe and Africa connecting the experience of poverty worlds apart through travel. The trip was expected to take four months.
Where:The journey to date and all updates are available on the Give A Damn? blog as well as Twitter.
Twitter:http://twitter.com/giveadamndoc
Blog: http://www.conversantlife.com/blogs/give+a+damn
mobile phone footage of the crash: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWtZhfau6fs
Donations to help the families of the pilot and flight engineer, defray emergency costs for the Give A Damn? crew and continue the filmmaking can be sent to:
Speak Up International 501 c
909 Danton Ct.
Manchester, Missouri, USA 63011
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