A Gainesville woman struck by the wing of a small plane Sunday while walking at Gainesville’s Lee Gilmer Airport was released Tuesday afternoon from a hospital after sustaining serious head injuries, her fiance said.
Amy Dunahoo, 40, was struck while walking east on the northside taxiway near Hangar A at the airport Sunday around 4 p.m., Gainesville police Lt. Brian Kelly said.
There are conflicting accounts as to how Dunahoo, a doctor of pharmacology who owns Dunahoo Pharmacy in Winder, was struck.
Pilot William Hohns, 71, of Acworth told police he was preparing to take off in his 1977 Piper airplane when Dunahoo walked into his path.
Dunahoo’s fiance, however, said several people witnessed the incident and said she was struck from behind by Hohns, who he said was taxiing at an estimated 20 mph.
Dunahoo was struck in the shoulder blades by the left wing, then knocked face first into the asphalt of the runway, said Duett Parrish, Dunahoo’s fiance.She had five teeth knocked out, her mouth was cut and she had bleeding on the brain, he said. She was knocked unconscious at the time of impact and momentarily quit breathing, he said.
She was flown by helicopter to North Fulton Medical Center.
Dunahoo had just arrived at the airport after flying in from Augusta in her fiance’s plane. She was walking to her own small private plane when she was struck near the A.B. Aviation building, Parrish said.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident. NTSB officials were unavailable for comment late Tuesday.
Parrish said Dunahoo made a remarkable recovery during her hospitalization.
"Her doctor’s comments were that from where she was Sunday afternoon to where she’s at today was relatively medically amazing," Parrish said.