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
or donate online http://snurl.com/gaddgive
CONTACTS:
Media rep/ coordinator Kellee Sikes 314-255-7495 or Kate Dozier 636-579-1501
Left to Right: Dan Parris, 25,Manchester, Missouri, USA; Rob Lehr, 26, Ballwin, Missouri, USA; DavidPeterka, 25, Manchester, Missouri, USA; not pictured cameraman Tim Peterka30, Kirkwood, Missouri, USA; of Speak Up International.
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Comments
I would like to tell Rob, Thank you for going back and getting my brother the flight engineer out of the plane. If it was not for you, I would not have my brother, ryan, here anymore. I can not say Thank you enough. I will be praying for you and dan for your recovery.
thank you,
Amber
Thank you Rob for helping our nephew, Ryan. We are eternally grateful to you.
Liz and Carl
Hi Rob,
My name is Tim Jensen and Frank was my brother-in-law. First, allow me to thank you for posting your take on the events involving the crash that took Frank's life. Our family is still trying to piece together the truth, and your journal entry has helped. Second, allow me to extend a heartfelt "Thank you" for your efforts in saving Dan and Ryan. Frank's wife, Tiffany, and Ryan's wife, Dawn, are best friends. While Tiffany is certainly grieving the loss of her husband, she is somewhat comforted by the fact that Ryan is alive. We also look forward to Ryan's recovery because he will still be able to be the father of his three boys and their soon to be adopted African daughter! Although I do not know Dan personally, I still value all human life and am glad to know he is alive and will recover over time.
As you have shared some information with us that we did not yet have, I would also like to share some information with you that you may not have. You and Dan shared something in common with Frank: a deep, abiding compassion for humanity. I've browsed your project and I respect your desire to help hurting people, as well as your brazen attempt to awaken the slumbering compassion of all people toward others in need (as evidenced by your projects title!). This was Frank's passion as well. As a Christian, Frank understood the importance of meeting the needs of other people, and the priority of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and bringing medical care to the sick. Frank's aviation skills provided him a venue to do these things, and he did them exceptionally well! Your journal entry indicates you and Dan felt a connection with Frank (and Ryan) although you had just met them before your flight, and I believe your shared passion for helping people was that connection.
However, I want you to know that Frank's passion to help people went far beyond meeting their physical needs. Frank's true passion was to see people come to know the truth about Jesus Christ and to place their faith in Him. Frank believed in the God of the Bible, who created the world and everything in it, including people. Frank believed that the world God created was perfect, as the Bible indicates, and that the first people messed everything up by rebelling against God. Suffering, sickness, and death have resulted from man's rebellion ever since. However, in His love for all people, God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to take mankind's due penalty for sin. Jesus was completely righteous, never breaking God's laws, and yet He was willing to die on behalf of mankind to provide the forgiveness we need from God, and to provide us a place in heaven with God when we die.
Frank believed that every person on the planet has the need to get right with God, since every person on the planet has broken God's laws. And Frank lived with a certain urgency, because he knew that every man will face God's judgment. The Bible says that Jesus will return to the earth and He will judge the living and the dead. For those who have been made right with God before they face judgment, heaven awaits. For those who continue in their rejection of God and His Son, Jesus Christ, hell awaits. Frank was a pilot, but he was a missionary pilot. Frank's mission was the ultimate mission of compassion, leading people to faith in Jesus Christ, so that they might avoid the agonies of eternal hell, and enjoy the realities of eternity with God in heaven.
I believe Frank would have wanted me to share this with you, and I join him in the hope that you will come to not only believe God exists, but you will one day turn to God through faith in Jesus Christ.
I would like the opportunity to talk with you and Dan personally to extend our family's gratitude, as well as to help you two through this difficult time. If you will contact me via email (familypastor@gmail.com) and provide me with phone contact info, I'll call you. In the meantime, my family will be praying for you both and your families as well.
Thank you for taking the time to read and consider this post.
Tim Jensen
Proud brother-in-law of Frank
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