A beloved flight nurse has been identified as one of the victims killed in a Medevac plane crash that sparked a New Mexico wildfire. Jamie Novick, 33, was one of four people on board the small medical plane en route from Roswell Air Center to Sierra Blanca Regional Airport when it crashed before dawn on May 14.
The other victims included pilots Keelan Clark and Ali Kawsara with Generation Jets, and Novick's fellow flight nurse, Sarah Clark, with Trans Aero MedEvac. 'Our hearts remain with the families and loved ones navigating an unimaginable loss,' Matt Goertz, vice president of Trans Aero MedEvac, said in a joint statement with Generation Jets.
Officials said the crash sparked the Seven Cabins Fire, which has spread across 16,703 acres and is only six percent contained as of Thursday. The cause of the crash has not been determined, and the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
Novick, an Air Force veteran who lived in Colorado, left behind her husband, Ryan, and their two children, Lena and Josh, according to the family's GoFundMe. The fundraiser described her as 'an extraordinary wife, mother, friend, and nurse who was killed in the line of duty while serving her community.'
'She was known for her compassion, strength, quick thinking, and unwavering dedication to her patients and coworkers. Emergency medicine was not simply Jamie's job - it was her calling,' the page stated. 'She was a devoted mother, a loving partner, a trusted colleague, and a loyal friend whose kindness, courage, and dedication touched countless lives.'
Novick's father, Greg Bunch, told Fox21 News that his daughter's life was 'full of purpose.' 'She was a daughter, a wife, a mother, a sister, a nurse, a veteran, a friend, and a servant,' he said. 'She did hard things with courage. She loved people with sincerity. She cared for the hurting. She showed up for her family. She lived with joy and humility.'
Her husband, Ryan, added, 'The same compassion, courage, commitment, and selflessness she showed her family carried into her career. Jamie dedicated her life to serving others as an Air Force veteran, emergency room nurse, and, most recently, a flight nurse. She cared deeply for everyone she came across.'
Bunch revealed that his daughter's death came just 13 months after her brother was tragically killed in a car crash. 'She loved her older brother Mark, even though, like older brothers often do, he could drive her crazy,' said Bunch. 'Jamie took his passing very hard, as you can imagine, and it all relates to how deeply Jamie loved people and loved her brother. Now losing Jamie has brought a level of grief that is hard to describe. Yet even in that grief, we are grateful for the life she lived and the love she gave.'
