NBC 7 spoke with the two good samaritans who helped rescue the pilot and co-pilot who were injured in the skydiving plane crash in Oceanside Thursday.
Marine Sgt. Morgan Vohs and Army Sgt. Christopher Gordon were both commuting home from Camp Pendleton when they witnessed the plane crash just short of reaching the Oceanside Municipal Airport.
“It took me about half a second to realize what had happened,” Vohs said. “My response was…fight. Get in there. Help them.”
My response was…fight. Get in there. Help them.
said Sgt. Morgan Vohs
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"I turned onto 76 off the Douglas road and notice all the parachutes in the sky, which is a common sight in that area," Gordon said. "And then I saw the skylight plane. What I thought was trying to dive below the parachutes to land before they got to the ground and he didn't pull up."
Vohs said he crossed the highway, a fence and field in less than a minute.
Gordon said once he got to the scene he was able to climb through the pilot's door and was able to see and talk to both the pilot and copilot.
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Vohs checked on the pilot, 45-year-old Darren Mohle.
“He was conscious he was a little confused. He said he was in pain,” Vohs said.
Vohs then checked on the co-pilot, known as Marco, and said the door was damaged and was unable to open it.
“I had to pull the [door] handle, and I was able to squeeze my finger underneath it and just kind of yank that door open,” said Vohs. “Luckily, it wasn’t too bent up and I could get into it.”
Vohs and Gordon cared for the two while the fire department was on its way.
Oceanside police said the plane lost altitude just short of reaching the airport.
Mohle is being treated at Scripps Memorial Hospital for back fractures, a concussion, and cuts and bruises all over his body, but none of those injuries are life-threatening, Thompson told NBC 7.
It's a relief to his fiancée and her family as they are going to be married in three weeks.
Thompson said her daughter Catherine is shaken up but said they are not canceling the wedding.
“It’s on. He’s alive. She’s like, 'We’re getting married in the hospital if that is the case," Thompson said.
We’re getting married in the hospital if that is the case,
Catherine Thompson told her mom
Thompson says Mohle will remain at the hospital for two days for observation while doctors determine whether surgery is necessary.
"He’s really positive. The doctor came in and was like, 'This is the best-case scenario,'” Thompson said.
The second victim is being treated at Palomar Medical Center, his condition is not known.
