“I saw her one second and then the next she was gone and the door was wide open and she didn’t even have time to scream,” Helena Woroniecka, the daughter of Dr. Monika Woroniecka, tells Inside Edition.
A New York doctor died after falling out of an Airstream camper that was being towed by her husband as they traveled to see the eclipse, authorities said.
Dr. Monika Woroniecka, a pediatrician from Long Island, was riding in the Airstream camper, which is illegal in New York state, when a gust of wind blew open the passenger side door, police said. The doctor and mom of three was thrown onto the road as her family watched.
The incident happened near Brownville, N.Y. as the doctor and her family were traveling to view the eclipse in the path of totality.
“The door was shaking a little bit. It sounded super windy even though she had closed it behind her,” the pediatrician’s daughter, Helena Woroniecka, tells Inside Edition. “I saw her one second and then the next she was gone and the door was wide open and she didn’t even have time to scream.”
Helena says they did not know that they were not supposed to travel in the Airstream while it was being towed. “We were looking and we saw in some states it was legal and some states it wasn’t,” she says.
Andy Vivanco rents out his Airstream in California. Even though the camper may look inviting to relax in, he says he tells his customers never to ride inside while it is on the move.
“It’s bumpy. There’s only two wheels and there’s no seatbelts,” Vivanco says.
He says the door of his camper has swung open while driving before because he did not latch the door properly.
After Monika Woroniecka’s death, Airstream released a statement saying they were “saddened” over the incident and noted, “The safety protocol advises owners that they cannot tow an Airstream with people inside.”
It is illegal to ride in travel trailers like an Airstream in 39 states, including New York and California.
The pediatrician’s family is left to grieve over their loss.
“She was the most loving and warm-hearted person ever,” Helena says.
