OMG - This is a hero

[OzarkDem]

As information, this is the same plane crash that Dem Sen. candidate Claire McKaskill's aide died in.

The actions of this guy brings tears to my eyes...

Australian family says skydiver died a hero in Missouri crash

MELBOURNE, Australia - One of six skydivers killed in a Missouri plane crash died a hero protecting a fellow passenger, the survivor's family said Wednesday.

Australian tourist Kimberley Dear, 21, was one of only two survivors when a DeHavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter nosedived shortly after taking off Saturday from Sullivan airport in eastern Missouri.

Her father, Bill Dear, said 22-year-old skydiving instructor Robert Cook, of Rolla, Mo., positioned his body to protect Kimberley from the impact.

...

Dear said Cook realized the plane would crash and calmly told his daughter what to expect.

Cook attached himself to the woman with a harness they were to use in a tandem jump and pulled her close as the plane plummeted.

"He said to her: 'As the plane is about to hit the ground, make sure you're on top of me so that I'll take the force of the impact,'" Dear said.

"The plane actually hit, they believe, a power pole or a power line and it went into a vertical situation, and she became a little bit disoriented, but she felt Robert actually twist his body around until Kim was on top of him and when the plane hit the ground, he took the full force of the impact," Dear said.

Kimberley Dear suffered muscle tears around her spine, a broken pelvis and collar bone, cuts, concussion and severe bruising, her father said. The second survivor was also hospitalized with serious injuries.

http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/state/15178101.htm

On edit: Pic of Robert and quotes from his dad in this article

Young, Calm, Staring Death in the Face

"That's the way Robert was. He would sacrifice anything for anybody else. That was just his nature. He was probably one of the best kids you could ever meet," Robert Cook's distraught father, Mark, told smh.com.au today."

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/young-calm-staring-death-in-the-face/2006/08/02/1154198184485.html

[Swamp Rat]

1. wow!

k&r

[MrSlayer]

2. Chivalry is not dead.

I agree, quite the heroic thing to do.

[calico1]

3. What a selfless act.

Dying to save someone else. Hero indeed.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

4. Oh, hell...

I'm crying here.

[OzarkDem]

7. Me, too n/t

[bbinacan]

5. I'm speechless. n/t

[peacebird]

6. a brave, selfless man... So young, but a huge heart....

sad to lose another good one.

:cry:

[glitch]

8. Amazing ability to think and act under those circumstances. A hero in

heart mind and body. RIP, Robin Cook.

[DistressedAmerican]

9. What a loss. Why the good ones?

HERO!

And I applaude him. :applause:

[CelticWinter]

10. A true hero

to give such a selfless gift. Of all the sad stories that pass through here this is one of the most inspirational that I have seen. Maybe there is hope for mankind after all.

~~Celtic

[1620rock]

11. Renews faith in the human race. God bless this true hero. eom

[Codeblue]

15. For now

Tomorrow, my faith in our race will again be dead I'm sure.

[Aviation Pro]

12. Everyone involved in aviation

...takes safety very seriously. The best in the business adhere to an unwritten creed that protection of life and property is the sole responsibility of the aviator, the parachutist, the controller and the mechanic. We would die try to save one more life (for an extreme example of professionalism see the text of the NTSB report on United 232, the crash of a DC-9 in Sioux City, Iowa).

This young man sacrificed his life so another could live. He is a hero with the courage of a lion. May he rest in eternal peace.

[MissB]

13. Damn.

:cry:

[grannylib]

14. A hero indeed...I am blown away by the thought of someone being so

selfless.
God bless his family and friends and all who knew him, as they learn to live without him.

[malaise]

16. The first good news story in ages.

What a hero.

[madokie]

17. there is no other word, a real Hero

[prole_for_peace]

18. i have never heard of a greater act of selflessness.

so heroic and at the same time, so sad. :cry: his parents should be so proud of him even as they mourn him.

damn, i can't quit crying.

[progressoid]

19. Amazing.

[OzarkDem]

20. Funeral today - you can leave comments at link

He came from a small town in the Ozarks, was a senior studying civil engineering at U of MO Rolla.

http://www.waynesvilledailyguide.com/articles/2006/08/01/news/news02.txt


This accident happened near my hometown, its a sad time for those in this area. The Quantum Leap skydiving school is a big part of the community - it was always fun watching the jumps on weekends.