Survivors and family of victims of a deadly plane crash in northern Indiana... Are "remembering that tragedy" tonight... On the 19th anniversary.
It was on a stormy Halloween night in 19-94... When an American Eagle flight from Indianapolis to Chicago crashed in Roselawn... killing 68 people.
Eyewitness news reporter Kevin Rader spoke to the sisters of a victim of that crash... About how their efforts after the crash have helped change the way airlines deal with such tragedies.
"My sweet sister and nephew. Patty and Patrick," Terri Severin remarked as she placed new pictures on both of the crosses.
It's been 19 years since the crash of American Eagle Flight 4184 near Roselawn, Indiana. Now only a roadside memorial with 68 crosses remains.
"Brighter pictures, still their smiles. How they will always be remembered," Severin continued.
Terri Severin lost her younger twin sister and her nephew in the disaster.
"I was at home with my kids dressed in halloween costumes waiting for my sister and her two boys to join us. Patrick boarded the plane in his halloween costume, ready for trick or treat," Severin remembers.
But thanks in part to the work of the 4184 families, the last 19 years have brought about change in the transportation industry. The Aviation Disaster Family Assistance Act was changed in relation to remains and personal items and they helped bring about change in regard to the use of regional jets.
"It's amazing to think about how far we have come in 19 years and how far the industry has come in 19 years," Jennifer Stansberry Miller remarked. She lost her brother Brad in the crash.
"It's been an amazing journey. It's as simple as that. The complexity of the accident. The tragedy, the treatments, the hardship developing into something positive, long lasting and sustainable on many fronts is impressive," she observed as we discussed the disaster sitting in a northside coffee shop.
Meanwhile back at the actual road side memorial Terri Severin asks a friend about the photos she has not put in place. "What do you think?" "They are all good. I would definitely use that one," her friend responds.
A lot of time has passed but it's not back to normal and it never will be. This is what the families of Flight 4184 commonly refer to as the new normal. In Roselawn Kevin Rader Channel Thirteen Eyewitness News.
The families have a goal of raising $100,000 for a permanent memorial wall that will have the names of all the victims engraved. The hope is to have that completed by next years 20th anniversary of the crash.