Community Corner
Plane Crash Survivor Thanks Stony Brook Doctors Who Helped Him Recover
Survivor of an October plane crash in East Farmingdale recently reunited with his doctors.
Six months after surviving a plane crash in Farmingdale, survivor Charles Bianculli reunited with his doctors at Stony Brook University Medical Center on Thursday, and had one thing to say.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you," he said. "What else can you say?"
On Oct. 17, 2010, the 61-year-old chiropractor from Lindenhurst was one of the survivors in a single-engine plane crash in a residential neighborhood in East Farmingdale.
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Bianculli was in surgery for more than 15 hours after sustaining several life-threatening injuries in the crash, including a fractured pelvis, a burst fracture on his spine, a punctured lung and two broken ribs.
On April 7, he met with the three doctors and several hospital staff members who helped put him back together at Stony Book University Medical Center.
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Dr. David Levy, from Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip, was the first to treat Bianculli after the crash. He says he was encouraged because Bianculli was awake and alert, despite his life-threatening injuries.
"I was amazed that he could still move his legs and had sensation. I expected him to have complete nerve damage. Honestly when he left Good Samaritan Hospital, I didn’t expect him to walk again," Levy said, adding that since Bianculli has a medical background and was alert, he was able to understand the nature of his injuries and communicated important details.
Dr. Robert Galler, a neurosurgeon at Stony Brook University Medical Center, treated Bianculli’s spinal injuries.
"Once I saw his images, I knew that he was in the right place," he said.
Galler credits Bianculli’s attitude and efforts for his remarkable recovery.
"I think he’s a pretty remarkable guy, he’s been a joy to take care of, he’s always been active in his own rehab and recovery," he said.
SBUMC's Dr. Stephen Kottmeier was the orthopedic trauma surgeon who repaired Bianculli’s pelvic fracture.
"We fixed the pelvis in the front with a plate and then had to address the portion in the back with screws that enter the side of the pelvis and go into the lower portion of the spine," Kottmeier said. "He knows he‘s done well, but that‘s only because of the effort he's put into his recovery."
After several months of rehabilitation at the Gurwin Rehab Center, Bianculli says he has a new outlook on life. He says the key to getting through the whole ordeal was maintaining his sense of humor and keeping a positive outlook.
"You know when you see your friends you’re always happy to see your friends, I think I’m a lot happier to see my friends than I used to be," he said. "I wake up in the morning and if I go from one position to the next and I take a step and everything seems to be where it belongs, I go 'thank you.'"
Bianculli also discussed the plane crash in detail. Their plane had cleared the fence surrounding the airport and climbed to an altitude of 500 feet before the engine failed. He said the pilot crash landed in a way that saved three of the four passengers on board.
"I sat back and said, 'What’s going to happen is going to happen,'" he said. "I don’t know how my friend did what he did, but he did it and kept three of us on the planet."
