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Jennifer Riordan Cause Of Death Revealed: How The Wells Fargo Executive Died In Southwest Airlines Disaster

By Frank Yemi
Published on: 08:20 PST, Apr 19, 2018

Southwest Airlines flight 1380 had a mid-air engine explosion, which resulted in one fatality. Jennifer Riordan, who was 43-years-old, died after partially being sucked out of her seat when an engine explosion broke her window, reports Business Insider.

The official cause of death for the Wells Fargo executive from Albuquerque, New Mexico, was recorded as “blunt trauma impact.”

Jennifer Riordan is survived by her husband Michael Riordan and their two children. Government officials in Albuquerque paid tribute to the Wells Fargo executive who was a valued member of her community.

Riordan, who was wearing a seatbelt, was sucked out of her seat by uncontrolled decompression from the shattered window. Medical officials ruled that the cause of death was due to blunt objects hitting Riordan in her head, neck, and torso. The officials also noted that the death was accidental.

Southwest Airlines flight 1380 passengers Ted McGinty and firefighter Andrew Needum attempted to pull Riordan back into the plane after the tragic incident.

The 43-year-old died in a hospital after the pilot made an emergency landing in Philadelphia. Experts from the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office gave an assessment of Riordan’s cause of death.

One of the Southwest airline passengers Peggy Phillips, who is a nurse, attempted CPR on Riordan during the emergency landing. Phillips described significant trauma to the victim due to the blunt force trauma.

Passengers on the place described the fatal incident, stating that the victim was sucked out of the plane from her waist up.

Riordan served as vice president of community relations at Wells Fargo in Albuquerque. Riordan received a Wells Fargo Volunteer Service Award in 2017.

She managed the volunteer services in West Texas and surrounding areas since 2008 and was VP of community and PR for Citigroup for three years, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Investigators state that the fatal incident was caused by a fault with the engine’s fan blades. There was metal fatigue where the fan blade broke off and caused the mid-air explosion. According to the BBC, a similar incident occurred in 2016 but the plane managed to land safely.

A former fighter pilot, Tammie Jo Shults, landed the plan and was reportedly calm during the tragic accident. The pilot is being hailed as a hero for the way she landed the plan and remained composed during an interaction with air control.

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