An EMS Plan 2 was called and emergency vehicles responded to a jetliner attempting to land that slid off a runway at Midway International Airport amid heavy snow and wind.
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The jet was landing on a runway at Midway when it skidded through a fence at the southwest corner of the airport, coming to rest on Central Avenue near 55th Street. At least one car was hit by the plane.
Larry Langford, spokesman for the Chicago Fire Department, said there are two serious injuries in that automobile. The vehicle was lodged under the aircraft following the accident.
A second vehicle was also involved, according to Langford.
A Chicago Lawn District officer said the accident occurred at around 7:10 p.m.
A witness told NBC5 that the entire jet was through the fence and on the roadway.
A passenger aboard the plane, identified as "Katie," told NBC5 that everyone on the plane was calm during the ordeal.
"We were just landing, we were in a holding pattern because there was a lot of snow on the runway," she said. "It was a little bit rough, but it was nothing out of the ordinary ... it got really bumpy and then we heard a crashing sound, and the next thing I knew, it looked like we were in the middle of an intersection."
The plane is a Southwest Airlines 737 and 98 passengers were onboard the jet.
No passengers aboard the aircraft apparently suffered injuries, according to Wendy Abrams, city Department of Aviation spokeswoman.
Firefighters were assisting people who might have been injured on the street, she said, and NBC5 learned that emergency crews were removing a victim from the passenger's side of a car involved in the collision.
Langford said that there was no fire involved in the collision, although there was a small fuel leak. That leak, he said, was quickly contained.
Langford said that 55th Street will be shut down for a long while as the accident is investigated.
The aircraft has been identified as Southwest flight 1248, arriving in Chicago from Baltimore.
Reports indicate that the plane may have made a hard landing before skidding off the runway.
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