Nationwide — 30-year-old Kiah Duggins, an African American regulation professor at Howard College and a Harvard Regulation graduate, was among the many victims of a devastating midair collision between an American Airways passenger jet and a army helicopter close to Reagan Nationwide Airport. The crash, which occurred Wednesday night over the Potomac River, claimed the lives of all 67 individuals on board each plane, leaving no survivors, in response to officers.
Howard College President Ben Vinson III launched an announcement confirming Duggins’ passing, calling it a profound loss for the college and its regulation college. He requested for privateness and respect for her household, college students, and colleagues throughout this troublesome time. Duggins had just lately joined Howard’s school and was acknowledged for her authorized work, significantly in civil rights litigation and social justice advocacy.
A Kansas native, Duggins had beforehand labored for the Civil Rights Corps, the place she challenged unconstitutional policing and cash bail practices throughout a number of states. She additionally collaborated with the ACLU of Northern California and different organizations to deal with police misconduct. Earlier than incomes her regulation diploma at Harvard, she accomplished a Fulbright grant in Taiwan and obtained her undergraduate levels from Wichita State College.
Duggins’ affect prolonged past the authorized subject. She was a two-time winner of the Miss Butler County pageant and a prime finalist within the Miss Kansas Pageant. Larry Robust, her former pageant director, described her as a exceptional particular person with a ardour for justice and training, urging the group to maintain her household of their ideas and prayers.
The crash occurred when American Airways Flight 5342, a Bombardier CRJ-701 carrying 64 passengers and crew, collided midair with an Military UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter on a coaching mission. Investigators say the jet, touring at roughly 140 miles per hour, immediately misplaced altitude and struck the helicopter at round 300 ft. The collision triggered a catastrophic explosion over the river.
Emergency groups have to this point recovered 28 our bodies from the wreckage because the seek for victims continues. Federal authorities, together with the Nationwide Transportation Security Board (NTSB), are actively investigating the reason for the crash. Air site visitors management recordings captured shocked reactions as controllers realized the tragedy unfolding in actual time.
The lack of Duggins, together with the opposite passengers and crew, has left the Howard College group and plenty of others mourning. Her legacy as a devoted professor, advocate, and chief within the struggle for justice won’t be forgotten.
