Earnhardt ‘truly blessed’ nobody was seriously hurt in plane crash

The Associated Press

5 years ago

Members of the National Transportation Safety Board looks at the wreckage of a plane that Dale ... — Members of the National Transportation Safety Board looks at the wreckage of a plane that Dale Earnhardt Jr., his wife and daughter and two pilots and a dog were on when it crash landed Thursday at the Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Elizabethton, Tenn., Friday, Aug. 16, 2019. Earnhardt Jr. will take the weekend off from broadcasting to be with his wife and daughter after the crash near Bristol Motor Speedway. (David Crigger/Bristol Herald Courier via AP)

A member of the National Transportation Safety Board looks at the wreckage of a plane that Dale Earnhardt Jr., his wife and daughter and two pilots and a dog were on when it crash landed Thursday at the Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Elizabethton, Tenn., Friday, Aug. 16, 2019. Earnhardt Jr. will take the weekend off from broadcasting to be with his wife and daughter after the crash near Bristol Motor Speedway. (David Crigger/Bristol Herald Courier via AP)

FILE – In this Sept. 21, 2018, file photo, Dale Earnhardt Jr. looks at his daughter, Isla, and his wife Amy on pit row prior to an Xfinity Series NASCAR auto race at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Va. Earnhardt Jr. will take the weekend off from broadcasting to be with his wife and daughter after the three were in a plane crash landing Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, near Bristol Motor Speedway. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

Dale Earnhardt Jr. says his family is “truly blessed” that nobody was seriously injured when his plane crash-landed last week in Tennessee.

The retired NASCAR driver, now a television analyst, issued a statement Monday on social media praising the “quick response of my pilots, local law enforcement, emergency personnel and hospital staff.” He thanked people for their phone calls, messages of support and prayers.

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— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) August 19, 2019

Investigators say the plane carrying Earnhardt and his family bounced multiple times during a crash-landing Thursday in Elizabethton and veered off the runway before ending up on a highway. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause.

Earnhardt was with wife Amy, 15-month-old daughter Isla, two pilots and the family dog. He was to have been part of NBC’s broadcast team for Saturday night’s Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Earnhardt says he and his wife appreciate the privacy extended to them as they process what happened.