A survivor of the deadly New Orleans terrorist attack, Jeremi Sensky, has spoken out from his hospital bed about the terrifying ordeal.
Sensky, 51, who has been paralyzed since a car accident in 1999, was struck by a white truck driven by Shamsud Din Jabbar on New Year’s Day as the vehicle sped through a crowd on Bourbon Street, killing 14 people.
Sensky was returning to his hotel after celebrating with family and friends when the attack occurred. He recalled hearing a ‘massive noise’ before being violently ejected from his wheelchair, landing near the truck’s tires. “I’m assuming I got hit by the truck, but honestly, nobody’s ever told me that, so I don’t know,” Sensky told NBC News. “But my wheelchair was completely bashed and the pieces were all over the place, so something hit me.”
His daughter, Heaven Sensky Kirsch, confirmed to the Daily Mail that the damaged wheelchair found at the scene belonged to her father.
Sensky described the chaotic scene as he lay on the ground. “I just heard screaming and I heard gunfire,” he said. “No one would come, and so I pushed myself on my back… I was screaming out for help, and people were just looking at me.” He added, “I kept asking for someone to help me and get me out of there, and it took a while. I realised that it was a bad scene.”
His family grew worried when they couldn’t reach him. After seeing the news, they rushed to the hospital. Kirsch explained that Sensky had several injuries, including a black eye, road rash, and broken legs. “He was hit by the truck and thrown from his wheelchair… one of his legs had a bone sticking out that he watched them saw off,” she said.
Kirsch finds comfort in the thought that her father’s heavy wheelchair may have slowed the truck’s momentum, possibly saving other lives. “I am telling myself that my dad’s heavy wheelchair slowed down that heavy truck for a lot of people,” she said.
The family has set up a GoFundMe to cover medical expenses, and Sensky was gifted a new wheelchair by the United Cajun Navy. His daughter says her father’s positive attitude and love for life are keeping the family strong. “He is so lucky to be alive,” she said. “My dad is a fighter and loves to live life.”
