While visiting Africa in January 1954, Ernest Hemingway and his wife, Mary Welsh, chartered a small plane to see Murchison Falls. According to the Associated Press, the area is “one of the most inaccessible spots in Uganda—dominated by crocodiles, elephants, buffaloes, lions and other big game.” During their sightseeing tour, the pilot encountered a flock of birds and, trying to avoid them, flew into a telegraph wire. The trio plunged onto the shores of the Nile River below, where they were stranded overnight.
The next morning, a tourist boat spotted the survivors and brought them to a nearby town. There, they boarded a second plane that was supposed to take them to safety. Unfortunately, the aircraft’s engine exploded shortly after takeoff, and they crash-landed again. This time, the pilot pulled Welsh out through a window, but Hemingway was too big to follow, so he had to force the plane’s door open with his head.
Ernest Hemingway Survived Two Plane Crashes, Then Found Out the World Thought He Was Dead
Hemingway and Welsh were erroneously reported dead by several news outlets, and had the distinct pleasure of reading their own obituaries. However, that doesn’t mean either of them walked away from the back-to-back crashes unscathed. Welsh broke two of her ribs in the first accident, and Hemingway suffered a torn shoulder. The latter incident would have a much worse impact on Hemingway in particular.
As per PBS, the famous novelist was left with “a ruptured kidney, a sprained arm and leg, crushed vertebrae, a paralyzed sphincter, a burnt scalp and the temporary loss of hearing and eyesight.” Despite his numerous injuries, Hemingway made light of the ordeal to the press, saying he’d fly again as soon as he found another plane; he even poked fun at Welsh. “We held our breath about two hours while an elephant twelve paces away was silhouetted in the moonlight, listening to my wife’s snores,” the author joked while speaking to the United Press.
The post The Wild Story of How Ernest Hemingway Survived Two Plane Crashes in 24 Hours appeared first on VICE.
