An 11-year-old girl from Gaylord, Michigan, survived a plane crash that killed four people—all thanks to her father’s life-saving bear hug.
Laney Perdue was ready to set off for Beaver Island in northern Lake Michigan on November 13, 2021 with her dad Mike, 43.
The girl was “so excited” about the trip because the island was her favorite place in the world. Her father, who had planned to hunt with friends and family when they arrived, was equally excited for the mini-vacation.
Before taking off for the 20-minute flight the father-daughter waved goodbye to their family.
“He gave me this huge hug, let go for a minute and then squeezed me super tight again,” Christie, Laney’s mom, told People of the last time she saw her husband. “Mike is known for his bear hugs.”
Aboard the commuter plane, Laney remembers looking out “one of those little windows and seeing the grass and feeling my dad’s arm around me.”
Things changed when the aircraft was about ready to land.
“I felt this feeling in my stomach like the plane just dropped, and my dad had his feet out like he was bracing for something,” the fifth-grader recalled.
Their plane crashed onto the island at 1:47 pm. Mike, pilot William Julian (55), and married passengers Adam Kendall (37) and Kate Leese (35) were all killed.
Miraculously, Laney only sustained 11 broken bones—most of which are going to heal on their own—and injuries to her lip and mouth.
“The last thing I remember is my dad giving me the tightest hug ever,” she said. “I’m alive because of him.”
The first responders who recovered her from the wreckage said the same, crediting Mike’s last act of love for Laney’s survival. His bear hug protected her from the impact of the crash, and kept her alive.
When Christie learned of the accident and rushed to see her husband and daughter, she didn’t know if Laney had survived the emergency helicopter ride from the island. She was relieved to find her breathing and alive after she reached the hospital.
“I grabbed her hand and she squeezed mine,” Christie recalled, quickly realizing that her daughter was unaware that her father didn’t make it.
Mike, a real estate agent, and Laney were both alive when responders arrived. The latter succumbed to his injuries just minutes after he arrived at the hospital.
“I was like, ‘Hey, Mom, where’s Dad?’” Laney said. “I was freaking out because I didn’t know there had been a crash. It was scary.”
Christie told her the devastating truth after she was transferred that evening to Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids.
“I wanted to make sure he was okay, I kind of knew he had passed, but I wasn’t sure,” Laney recalled. “I just broke down crying.”
Laney worked hard to overcome her grief and injuries so that she could walk at her father’s funeral. After undergoing surgery to her jaw and foot she was able walk again. And on December 11, she walked with them behind her dad’s casket.
Their community also supported them by creating a GoFundMe page for their family to help with mounting expenses.
Christie, Laney, her siblings, Addie, 8, and twin brothers Henrik and Bo, 2, will always remember Mike as “the best girl dad.” He loved celebrating “the little moments in life” with his family, and that’s something they would cherish forever.
“Every day he would wake up and be like, ‘You guys are beautiful. You guys are special,’” Laney said. “He was amazing.”
The five-member family keeps Mike’s memory alive every day by writing it down in a book that is kept on the kitchen counter.
They are also planning when they will return Beaver Island.
“Years ago, he said, ‘Promise me if something ever happens to me, you keep coming to the island with the kids,’” said Christie. “It’s the greatest tragedy and the greatest joy. We lost Mike, but we kept Laney.”
Christie’s mom, dad, sister, and brother-in-law have since moved in to help them.
“I’m so sad, but I know Dad would want us to be okay. He would want us to live,” Laney said.
What Mike did for his daughter is the perfect example of a father’s love. He is a true hero.
Listen to Laney & Christie as they discuss the details of the tragic plane accident.
Donate to the GoFundMe to help the Perdue family.
