Broward County

‘Waking up to a war zone': Residents face mental anguish, homelessness after BSO chopper crash

The deadly helicopter crash in Pompano Beach left some residents without valuables or anywhere to go

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NBC6’s Chris Hush has the latest on a family that was left homeless when a BSO helicopter crashed into their home.

Three weeks after the deadly Broward County Sheriff’s Office helicopter crash that killed two people, several residents in the apartment units hit by the chopper say they’re homeless and have lost everything.

Terran Vandiver said he lived in a corner unit with his brother and sister when the chopper smashed into their apartment located in the 100 block of Northeast 10th Street in Pompano Beach on the morning of August 28th, coming within inches of his brother.

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"Where the head of the helicopter came down at, where he was at, you could literally touch it with his arm. It was that close,” said Vandiver. "Waking up to a war zone…I was expecting it to be another Monday.”

Vandiver and his brother Lorenzo Snell made it out alive, helping others escape the blaze caused by the crash. Their sister, Shadara Carter, said she had left the apartment just 30 minutes prior to the incident.

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Their neighbor, 65-year-old Lurean Wheaton, was killed along with BSO Battalion Chief Terryson Jackson who was inside the chopper that was headed to the scene of a mother and son who were hit by a car in North Lauderdale.

An exact cause of the crash has yet to be determined but the surviving pilot told investigators they heard two bangs before a fire broke out in the engine.

The department’s other choppers were grounded pending inspections.

On Monday, the family’s attorney declined to comment on possible legal action.

"We’ll talk all about a case another time. This is just about how they’ve been dealing with this experience,” said attorney Rick Ellsley.

"The reality of it, just hearing big booms out of nowhere, it’s affected us both,” said Vandiver. "We’re homeless right now, living in a hotel trying to find a place to lay our head. A place to get back on our feet. It’s hard to do that when you’ve lost everything.”

The family has set up a GoFundMe page that has raised more than $8,000 as of Monday evening.

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