SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A Murphy Canyon resident is still feeling the trauma a week and a half after a business jet crashed into her neighborhood, killing six people on board and forcing more than 40 families to evacuate.
Katelyn O'Brien and her husband, who is active duty Navy, moved into new housing over the weekend, about a mile from their previous home on Sample Street.
In a voicemail from a phone call that never hung up, you can hear the screams of O'Brien and her neighbors as they escaped the flames that had surrounded them in their backyard.
"We were desperate, screaming, trying to figure out how we get out of there," O'Brien said. "I picked up the dog and ran with him, as things were exploding towards me.”
The plane, which came to rest in their yard, destroyed both of their vehicles. They're still waiting to hear how much their insurance will pay out for the vehicles.
Their belongings also suffered smoke damage, absorbing jet fuel fumes. O'Brien is hopeful more than half of her belongings can be salvaged. She's sorting through it all before filing a claim with her renters insurance.
As the couple begins their recovery, O'Brien says she's grateful to have new housing but admits it doesn't feel like home.
"I don't have the people I went through this with … They are like family to me. For the rest of my life, they are family to me, and the others on the rest of Sample Street. We’re connected forever," O'Brien said.
O'Brien is struggling mentally with the aftermath of the crash.
"There are nightmares, anxiety about even going to sleep. At night, knowing you don't feel safe, that's hard," O'Brien said.
She's taken leave from two jobs to deal with her recovery, which includes her mental health. She's been referred to a program for PTSD treatment.
"This was life changing for all of us … I don't know how to return to normalcy," O'Brien said.
A GoFundMe campaign has been started to help O’Brien’s family with their recovery.
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