Days after multiple people passed away in a Louisiana plane crash, the husband of Carley McCord, who was one of the victims in the accident, is speaking out about the tragedy. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Steven Ensminger Jr. spoke out about the last messages he received from his wife prior to her passing.
According to the publication, McCord, a 30-year-old sports reporter, texted and called her husband before heading on the Atlanta-bound flight, but he did not respond to the messages because he was at work.
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“I don’t have my phone and she sends me a message saying she loved me,” Ensminger Jr. told Sports Illustrated. “I was in and out of a nightmare, not being able to tell what was real and what wasn’t.”
Carley McCord was a Baton Rouge native who held a close connection with those at #LSU, even before she wed Steven Ensminger Jr.
Many with the program are crushed. There are tears during pregame.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) December 28, 2019
In the interview, Ensminger Jr. noted that his family rushed him to the hospital after he heard about the loss of his wife. He was then given sedatives to deal with the physical and emotional aspects of his heartbreak.
“I can remember laying in the hospital bed repeating myself saying it wasn’t real and then one of the hardest things I’m dealing with is that I missed her text and I missed her call,” he told the publication.
“It is by far the most pain, angst and terror and just darkest time of my life and I honestly don’t know how long it will last because I still don’t believe it,” Ensminger Jr. continued. “I don’t want to believe it.”
While Ensminger Jr. was in the hospital, he received a phone call from his father Steven Ensminger, the offensive coordinator for the Louisiana State University football team, who greatly helped him cope.
“The one voice that got on the phone with me that was clear and strong and supportive and confident while I was laying in that bed was my dad right before he walked out for warm-ups,” he continued to recount. “I could barely speak.”
“I couldn’t hold myself together and he said, ‘Son, you will get through this, it’s what we do. We face the darkest times in our lives and it’s what we do, we get through it. And I will take care of you and I’ll be there for you to keep you strong. You’re my one and only son, and my namesake and I love you and I can promise you we will get through this,’ Ensminger Jr. said.
PEOPLE confirmed that McCord had passed on Saturday, Dec. 28. She was one of five victims who passed away as a result of the tragic plane crash.
