Austin Hatchsurvived not one but two plane crashesas a kid — and the precious yet limited years he had with his family are what inspires him to be the best husband and father he can be.
In this week’s issue of PEOPLE, Austin, 28, says he was born into “an incredible family” and was living the “childhood that most kids dream of” when tragedy first struck in 2003, changing life as he knew it forever.
When he was just 8, his family’s single-engine plane crashed into a utility pole in Wells County, Indiana, killing his mother, Julie, 38, and siblings Lindsay, 11, and Ian, 5, as they traveled home from their Walloon Lake, Michigan, lake house.
“It was devastating tragedy, a devastating loss,” he says about the incident. “My dad and I did our best to press on during the midst of that, but that’s not something you ever really get through. You just adjust to the new normal. I followed my dad’s lead on that.”
Scene of 2011 crash that killed Austin Hatch’s father and stepmother.AP Photo/Petoskey News-Review, Heather Lockwood
He kept on following his dad’s lead as they rebuilt their lives together, one day at a time. Austin went on to become an all-star high school basketball player, and in 2011, was flying to the family’s lake house to celebrate his recent win: landing a college scholarship to the University of Michigan.
And yet despite the unbelievable odds, tragedy struck again when their new plane stalled and crashed into a garage in Charlevoix, Michigan, killing dad Stephen, 46, and Austin’s stepmother, Kim, 44.
Austin barely survived, was put into a medically induced coma for two months to treat a traumatic brain injury and sustained broken collarbones and a punctured lung.
“The chances of surviving two plane crashes is 1 in 11 quadrillion and 560 trillion,” says Austin, who had to relearn how to walk, talk, and eat — all while struggling with the emotional pain of losing his entire family. “I shouldn’t have survived, but I did, so there must have been some purpose in it.”
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The rest is history for the two, who started dating a couple months later and got married just two months after they graduated. Then they started their journey to become parents.
He founded theOvercome Itseminar series, and has since spoken to over 300 schools, churches, organizations and companies with the mission to “empower your team to achieve your goals.”
On Thursday, he will be flying to Annapolis, Maryland, to speak at the Naval Academy after a few midshipmen studied his story and used it as an example for overcoming adversity.
“It’s all about being a great husband to my wife, who is an incredible mom, and sharing the lessons from my dad with our son and future generations,” he adds.
Austin Hatch with son Hudson.Abigail Hatch
While Austin focuses on the family he has created, he makes sure he’s always honoring the family he lost.
Says Austin: “I do everything I can to keep their spirit and their memory alive every day.”
source: people.com
