Philadelphia Boy Who Shielded Sister From Plane Crash Survives Brain Surgery After Being Struck by Debris

A Philadelphia boy is being hailed a hero after saving his younger sister during the horrifying medevac plane crash Friday.

Ten-year-old Andre "Trey" Howard III was out for doughnuts with his family and instinctively shielded his 4-year-old sister Ayura when debris rained from the sky. A piece of flying metal struck him in the head, leaving doctors no choice but to perform emergency brain surgery.

Trey, now in stable condition, is recovering from injuries at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Despite doctors warning Trey may never walk or see again, he's expected to regain full mobility, and his vision hasn't been impacted, reported by FOX29.

His father, who witnessed it all, credits his son's quick thinking with saving his sister's life. "My son who's named after me, Andre Howard, tells his little sister, 'Get down,' and he grabs her. I hear the glass shatter. I turn around, there's a piece of metal sticking out of my son's head from the plane," the boy' father told 6abc.

The crash occurred Friday night in Northeast Philadelphia when a medical transport plane went down near Cottman Avenue. The impact injured at least 22 people and claimed the lives of seven, including all six Mexican citizens onboard.

The victims have been identified as Capt. Alan Alejandro Montoya Perales, co-pilot Josue de Jesus Juarez Juarez, Dr. Raul Meza Arredondo, paramedic Rodrigo Lopez Padilla, patient Valentina Guzman Murillo, and her mother, Lizeth Murillo Ozuna. Another victim on the ground, whose identity has not yet been released, was also killed.

Investigators are now combing through wreckage and analyzing the aircraft's recovered black box for clues into what caused the disaster.