HALIFAX – The Good Samaritan dubbed “an angel” by the two women he helped in the aftermath of Air Canada flight 624’s crash landing in Halifax has been identified.
Steve Earle visited Ruth Macumber, 80, in hospital on Tuesday morning one day after her niece spoke to Global News about his heroism.
“It was nice to see her,” Earle said Tuesday. “They didn’t need to thank me.”
READ MORE: ‘I can cross plane crash off my bucket list’: AC624 passenger recounts harrowing experience
According to Macumber’s niece Catherine Ouellet, who was also injured in the accident, Earle helped carry her aunt to safety from the plane.
“At one point he said, ‘I’m going to take you and throw you over my shoulder until we get to where everybody else is on the tarmac and as far away from the plane as we possibly can,'” Ouellet recalled.
“And she says, ‘no, no, no.’ And he goes, ‘yes’ and he did. He just lifted her, hoisted her up and threw her over his shoulder and off we went to join the people on the tarmac.”
Earle said there was no question he had to act quickly.
“It was important we all got to safety,” he said. “I needed to pick her up because it was the logical thing to do. It was the fastest route.”
He also recalled how impressed he was with her bravery.
“She really didn’t complain a lot,” he said. ” She didn’t come across as being afraid.”
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