Good survival skills is something most seven-year-olds don't exactly need, but for one brave little girl, using the survival skills she learned from her father is the only reason she is alive today.
Sailor Gutzler is the definition of a survivor, and although her story is heartbreaking, her bravery is incredibly inspiring. On January 2, 2015, Sailor was returning home to Illinois from a vacation in Key West, Florida with her parents, older sister, and cousin when their trip came to a tragic halt. Marty Gutzler, Sailor's father and a commercial pilot, was flying his family in his Piper PA-34 small twin-engine plane when they experienced turbulent weather and made a call to air traffic control for help.
Shortly after the call, the plane crashed in a wooded area in Kentucky. Seven-year-old Sailor was the sole survivor. The little girl climbed out of the wreckage with a broken wrist and walked for 20 minutes in the dark, freezing cold and dense forest, towards a faint light. When she reached the home of Larry Wilkins, the girl was barefoot and still in her T-shirt and shorts from vacation. She told Wilkins she needed help for her family and he immediately called the police, who were shocked to find the girl calm and helpful when they arrived. Sailor told the authorities she believed everyone else was dead, but didn't want to give up hope and moved fast.
Sailor is the definition of a survivor, and she did it all to try to save her family. A donation page has been set up to “help Sailor obtain the emotional, physical, and educational support she will need in the years to come,” according to sailorgutzlerfund.com.
The video below the photos details Sailor's heroic journey.
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Returning from holiday in Key West, Florida, Marty Gutzler was flying his wife, Kimberly; their daughters, Piper and Sailor; and their niece, Sierra, home to Illinois when his plane crashed in Kentucky.
The youngest passenger, seven-year-old Sailor, was the sole survivor of the plane crash.
Sailor was still dressed in her vacation clothes and not wearing any shoes when she crawled out of the plane with only a few broken bones.
The girl walked for about 20 minutes — roughly one mile — through the dark, cold, and dangerous forest toward a faint light in the distance, the home of Larry Wilkins.
Larry Wilkins, who called 911 and took care of the girl, told the Associated Press "She's gonna need a lot of help."
"I just can't imagine someone that young going through that, especially to witness it — to witness her parents dying."
A donation page has been set up to “help Sailor obtain the emotional, physical, and educational support she will need in the years to come,” according to sailorgutzlerfund.com.
Please visit sailorgutzlerfund.com to help support the future of this brave young girl.
