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Buffalo Bills Player Dion Dawkins Speaks Out Following Fatal Plane Crash on His Property
Football player Dion Dawkins is speaking out following a deadly plane crash in Aurora, N.Y.
The Buffalo Bills offensive lineman missed part of practice on Dec. 19 after he received news of the crash that occurred near his property, according to The New York Times.
While Dawkins confirmed his family is safe, the pilot of the plane—who was the only occupant on board—was sadly pronounced dead at the scene, according to East Aurora Police Chief Patrick Welch.
“The East Aurora Police Department received multiple 911 calls reporting a small aircraft crash in the area of Stewart Court, in the town of Aurora, Erie County, New York,” Welch wrote in a Dec. 19 statement. “East Aurora Fire Department arrived on location at 11:29 am and reported an aircraft on the ground in a small wooded area between two residences and fully engulfed in flames.”
No other injuries were reported.
Though the incident is under investigation, Welch noted that minutes before the 911 calls began pouring in, a local Buffalo airport “sent out an alert for a plane having mechanical issues” and that authorities “determined that the plane involved in the crash is the same plane that reported mechanical issues.”
After returning to his team’s practice later in the day, Dawkins told reporters that he and his family do not live at the property, but his fiancée Daiyaana Muhammad was at the East Aurora house to check the mail, per ESPN.
Dawkins also shared heartfelt condolences when he spoke to reporters about the tragedy.
Perry Knotts/Getty Images
“I still wonder why things happen in life, but tragedies happen all of the time,” he said in a video posted to X by Buffalo Bills reporter Matt Parino. “The biggest point about it is I just hope that the pilot’s family is okay. I hope that they’re doing alright because somebody lost their life today.”
“I’m glad that my family is perfectly fine,” he continued. “The alarm systems, the security guards that are there and all of the people that are involved that help keep us safe—everything was going off.”
Dawkins concluded his statement by adding, “For the family of that pilot, my prayers are out.”
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