Erin Storm, a contestant who was featured on season 12 of reality series "The Bachelor," was killed in a plane crash in Hawthorne, Calif. Monday.
Storm was among the 25 women who competed for bachelor Matt Grant's affection but was eliminated in the third episode of the series, which premiered in 2008.
She was piloting a single engine Airborne XT-912 Storm aircraft when it went down shortly after its take off from the Hawthorne Municipal Airport. A private company that was working near the crash site witnessed the crash and helped pull Storm out of the wreckage.
Paramedics arrived at the scene and immediately rushed Storm to a nearby hospital, where the 41-year-old succumbed to her injuries. Her Facebook page notes that Storm was working as a pilot for Pacific Blue Air.
"As soon as the plane hit the curb, it blew up. And the flames just kept getting bigger and bigger," said Byron Mayes, an employee of the private company that pulled Storm out of the wreck. "We pulled her out of the plane before we even got to the fire extinguisher. Her legs were on fire. That's when my partner ran in and pulled her out."
"We checked her pulse, and sadly to say there was no pulse at first," Mayes added. "But the paramedics were doing as best as they could to keep her breathing."
Grant said that he was "massively shocked" to learn about Storm's death and felt "devastated for her family and friends." "We were lucky to have Erin on season 12. She was genuine, self-assured, beautiful and hilarious," he said. "My thoughts and prayers go out to her loved ones."
Holly Julian, who also vied for Grant's red rose on the reality show alongside Storm, said that her fellow contestant had a "vibrant soul."
"I know all her friends and family are devastated by her loss as are her Bachelor family," Julian said. "I am grateful to have met her in this lifetime and I am so sorry to her family and friends that are grieving her loss. Rest in peace Erin. Continue being that beautiful soul on the other side."
"Once a member of the Bachelor family, always a member of the Bachelor family. It is a tragedy that Erin is no longer with us, and we would like to extend our sincere condolences to her family and friends," "The Bachelor" family said in an official statement following Storm's passing.
