Tiffany Recounts Emergency Plane Landing in Lake Wausau, Thanks First Responders
WAUSAU, WI – Tom Tiffany on Sunday addressed the emergency plane landing in Lake Wausau that sent him and the pilot to the hospital Saturday night, thanking the pilot and first responders whose actions helped bring both men to safety.
“We are just really fortunate. We’re really fortunate that God was looking after us last night. We’re also really fortunate that the first responders, those behind me, the fire department, the sheriff’s department, as well as the City of Wausau Police, for their quick response. We’re really fortunate for what they did, and I can’t thank them enough for helping us in this situation,” said Tiffany.
Tiffany was returning home from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner when the plane lost power during its approach to the Wausau Downtown Airport. Tiffany said the pilot, Lenny Boltz, told him, “We are going down. Pull your seat belt tight.”
Roughly 10 seconds later, the plane hit the water.
After confirming they were both okay, Tiffany and Boltz exited the four-seat aircraft and called 911 as the plane began to submerge. They initially remained on top of the aircraft before swimming approximately 100 to 150 feet, reaching a shallow area where they waited for emergency responders.
Tiffany credited Boltz’s experience and quick decisions with helping them survive the landing.
“We’re just really fortunate that we had a skilled pilot who knew what he was doing as we were going down after we lost power,” Tiffany said.
Emergency responders reached the two men by boat and transported them to Aspirus Wausau Hospital. Tiffany received 12 stitches above his right eye. Both were released from the hospital.
“The gravity of this is probably just hitting me at this point,” Tiffany said. Later, reflecting on the experience, he added, “It just gives me great appreciation to be here another day, to be able to be with my wife and family.”
Tiffany also made clear that he intends to continue his campaign for governor.
“This will not deter me and my efforts that I started a year ago to become the next governor of the state of Wisconsin,” Tiffany said.
“I signed up for the job to be governor of the state of Wisconsin a year ago. It was right here in Wausau a year ago that I announced, and I’m going to finish that job because there’s a whole lot of people in Wisconsin that are counting on me.”
You can watch the full press conference here.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
Mentioned in This Press Release
Recent Press Releases by Tom Tiffany
