A 16-year-old girl miraculously survived a plane crash in the North Cascades in the state of Washington, and even managed to find help after walking in the wilderness for two days covered in burns and bruises.
Her father was in disbelief upon learning that his daughter managed to survive, saying, "I believe in God. ... There's no way I cannot believe in God."
Autumn Veatch, 16, rode a plane from Kalispell, Montana, with her grandparents, Leland and Sharon Bowman, on Saturday afternoon.
The plane, however, dropped off the radar near Omak, Washington. The Bowman couple did not survive the plane crash.
Autumn, however, made it out alive. She hiked out of the rugged North Cascades Mountains, looking for help for the injuries she obtained.
On Monday afternoon, Autumn flagged down a passing motorist at a trailhead near a rural Washington town. The driver called the police and took Autumn to a store in Mazama, Washington, near the Canadian border.
When Autumn talked to the dispatcher, she could still not get her thoughts together.
"I was riding from Kalispell, Montana, to Bellingham, Washington, and ... well, I don't know where, but we crashed and I was the only one that made it out," the plane crash survivor told the dispatcher.
It was Jessica Jerwa, a spokeswoman for the Washington Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, who informed Autumn's father about her miraculous survival.
"It was incredible for me to be able to give that information," Jerwa shared.
Autumn's father, David, for his part, was in disbelief when he received the news that his daughter was alive. He could not help but profess his faith in God.
At present, Autumn is still recovering from the injuries she obtained, and dealing with the loss of her grandparents.
"These people were really playing the part of grandparents to her and that's hitting her really hard," David said.
