Plane crash unites community to help burn victim
By Becky Robinette Wright CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Becky Robinette Wright/Chesterfield Observer Traffic was redirected as fire crews worked to put out the fire.

As Peter Heimsath and his fellow neighbors looked on, the crash scene on Woodsong Drive was like a movie unfolding before unbelieving eyes. What had once been a home was now a pile of charred walls, as firefighters fought to put out the flames.

Just minutes earlier, 22-year-old Melissa Bowen had been inside the now destroyed home getting ready for the day ahead, but nothing could have ever prepared her for the tragedy that would literally soon crash into her life.

It was shortly after 10 a.m. on Apr. 27 when a single-engine, medium-sized airplane left the Chesterfield County Airport. A few minutes after taking off, the airplane crashed for reasons still unknown, causing a fireball to erupt and engulf the home where Bowen was temporarily living with her sister. Bowen was caught in the firestorm and severely burned. She was whisked to VCU Medical Center for treatment.

Neighbors stood watching, mesmerized at the horrific sight and yet in awe of the massive operation by rescue and police personnel going on in front of them.

© Peter Heimsath It took hours for firefighters to finally extinguish the flames after a single-engine airplane crashed into this home on Woodsong Drive. The plane's two passengers were instantly killed.

Heimsath and his family live a mere 150 feet across the street from the Bowen home. Nancy Plucinik, Heimsath's 18-year-old stepdaughter, was home at the time of the crash. That morning, Nancy called him in hysterics, recounting what had just happened. Heimsath and his wife, Lisa, left their church services and headed home to see the devastation.

Later, the images wouldn't leave his mind. "This tragedy was a slap in our faces," Heimsath said. "It woke us up."

He wondered about Bowen's condition, and thought about how challenging life must be for burn victims as they go through recovery.

"An idea started forming in my head," he explained. "She would need help through the mental aspect of her ordeal. No one thinks of the aftermath of a crisis like this."

Heimsath decided to rally neighbors and others to support Bowen and her family as she recovers.

"It could have been any of us," he said. "If everyone in the neighborhood contributed something, just using their talents, what a tremendous effort that would be. It could be monetary, meals cooked, a gift of clothing, furniture donated, yard work, etc. The point is for everyone to contribute what they are good at. What I desire is to form a database of names and talents on what each person is willing to do in the form of service to assist the family. Then when the family needs it, all they have to do is look at the database, and there are their resources."

Heimsath is currently heading up the database project. To learn more, contact him at whphoto44@yahoo.com.

A fund has also been established for Bowen. Donations can be mailed to the Melissa M. Bowen Recovery Fund, c/o People's Bank of Virginia, P.O. Box 71960, Richmond, VA 23255.

No one has officially commented on Bowen's condition, but an unidentified source says she is improving. In addition to the loss of their home and Bowen's injuries, the family's dog and 10 new puppies were also killed in the crash.