‘Happy to be alive’ North Strabane man begins road to recovery after surviving deadly terror attack

Jan 6, 2025 By Karen Mansfield 8 min read

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Jeremi Sensky of North Strabane Township, pictured with his daughter, Heaven Selensky-Kirsch, is recovering in a New Orleans hospital after surviving the New Year’s terrorist attack.

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Jeremi Senski suffered two broken legs after his wheelchair was struck by a driver who barreled onto a sidewalk and rammed into a crowd on Bourbon Street in the early hours of New Year’s Day. His wife, Crystal Kirsch, is shown near a wheelchair provided by Permobil Foundation in order to help Sensky navigate until his new wheelchair arrives.

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Jeremi Sensky visited Nashville, Tenn., with family and friends before heading to New Orleans to celebrate 2025.

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Jeremi Sensky faces a recovery from broken legs after he survived a terrorist attack in the French Quarter of New Orleans on New Year’s Day.

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Jeremi Sensky, third from left, is recovering from injuries sustained in the terrorist attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day. Pictured with him, from left, are his wife, Crystal Sensky, daughter, Heather Sensky Kirsch, and son-in-law Casey Kirsch.

Courtesy of Courtesy of Heaven Sensky Kirsch

Days after surviving the deadly terrorist attack on Bourbon Street in the early hours of New Year’s Day, Jeremi Sensky of North Strabane Township continues to recover in the intensive care unit of a New Orleans hospital following surgery to repair his badly broken legs.

“I’m happy to be alive,” said Sensky from his hospital room in University Medical Center, where his wife, Crystal, and daughter, Heaven Sensky-Kirsch, have remained by his side.

Sensky, 51, had driven to New Orleans to ring in the new year with his wife, daughter, son-in-law, and two family friends and was heading back to his hotel room when a Texas man driving a white pickup truck barrelled onto the sidewalk and plowed into the crowd before he was killed in a shootout with police.

Fourteen people died and 35 others – including Sensky, a quadriplegic who was thrown from his wheelchair after it was struck by the truck – were injured.

As he lay crumpled on the pavement trying to make sense of what happened, Sensky heard yelling and gunfire.

“He was reaching for his phone but couldn’t find it, and he started screaming for help,” said Sensky-Kirsch, who had returned to the hotel room earlier that morning with her mother while Sensky stayed behind for pizza. “Because he was on the ground, he was beneath the gunshots, which probably saved him. We feared the worst for hours. We didn’t know what happened to him. We didn’t think there was any way he could have survived any traumatic injury.”

A first responder told Sensky he knew he was hurt, but medical personnel had to treat other victims more severely injured, and assured him they would return for him.

“He kept telling us about a police officer named Patrick who ended up staying with him,” said Sensky-Kirsch.

She said her father realized he was seriously injured – his leg “was shattered in pieces,” he told news outlets – and Sensky isn’t sure how long he remained on the cold ground before first responders placed him on a stretcher and carried him to an ambulance, which transported him to University Medical Center.

In all, 30 patients were transferred to UMC, the only level one trauma center in the area.

“This was a complicated incident in that the patients we treated had a mix of blunt trauma as well as penetrating trauma, such as gunshot wounds,” said a hospital spokeswoman on Sunday. As of Sunday, seven patients, including Sensky, remained in the hospital’s ICU.

On Wednesday, Sensky underwent more than 10 hours of surgery on two broken femurs, including the compound fracture of his right leg.

Sensky and his family are trying to come to grips with the aftermath of the attack and to steel themselves for the long recovery ahead.

Sensky-Kirsch – who tried frantically to find her father on Bourbon Street before she and her mother tracked him down in the hospital’s emergency room – said her father “is a fighter who loves to live life.”

Sensky was paralyzed from the neck down in a car accident on Christmas Eve in 1999.

“Dad has a remarkable attitude. I don’t know anyone like him. He loves life. He’s horrified and traumatized at how many people didn’t make it; we’re all trying to process that. But he’s ready to get out there and live his life because so many didn’t make it and he is still here,” said Sensky-Kirsch.

Sensky and his family know the road to recovery will be a challenge.

As a quadriplegic, even the surgery to repair Sensky’s legs was dangerous: the anesthesia posed risks for him because respiratory muscle weakness has impacted his lungs, and the damage to his legs was severe.

“It was a huge hurdle that they were able to get him off the ventilator. It was a relief,” said Sensky-Kirsch. “The road ahead is complicated and it’s going to be unpredictable. Having these extensive injuries is a different hurdle for a quadriplegic. We’re feeling relief that he’s here with us, but we’re trying to wrap our heads around the road ahead and getting his wounds properly cared for and getting the physical therapy he will need. The doctors are worried about the trauma of him getting back in a chair and how he will respond. There are a lot of things to manage.”

The family has started a GoFundMe campaign, https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-jeremis-recovery-after-tragic-terror-attack,

to help cover expenses for a new motorized wheelchair and other medical expenses they’re facing.

Chilling images of Sensky’s mangled wheelchair next to the pickup truck have circulated in media reports.

“(Heaven) texted me that morning and I saw his wheelchair on the news, and she told me his legs were shattered and I was shocked,” said Sensky’s longtime friend and neighbor, Milton Pankas of North Strabane Township. “When I talked to him on the phone the other day, he was way more worried about everyone that was hurt in the accident. He told me there were people hurt way more badly than him and to worry about them.”

On Friday, a motorized wheelchair was delivered to the hospital by the Permobil Foundation, which is lending Sensky the chair until he gets a new one.

Sensky, who has shared his story with national and international news media, said the past days have been “surreal.”

He and his family are grateful to the first responders and the medical team that treated him after he arrived at the hospital.

The family also is thankful for the support they have received from family and friends in Southwestern Pennsylvania and across the country since the attack.

“We feel such massive gratitude for all of the people who have reached out to help. My dad can’t believe the support system our country has, and there are tons of helpers in the world, people who want to help,” his daughter said. “We’re so thankful for that.”

Ironically, just after midnight on New Year’s Day, Sensky recorded a video on his phone of his family and friends counting down the new year, accompanied with a text, “Yinz all be safe out there.”

And Sensky texted Pankas – who had spent time with Sensky on the night of his 1999 car accident – shortly before the terrorist attack.

“He’s a night owl, and he texted me at 2:20 (a.m.) and said, ‘Happy New Year, brother,’ I said, ‘Are you still up?’ and he said, ‘Yeah,’ which wasn’t a surprise. He’s lucky that he’s alive. He’s like a brother; he’s not only a neighbor but we’re really good friends. He’s a really tough guy,” said Pankas, who visited Sensky nearly every day during his hospital stay and rehab following the car accident. “He didn’t let that injury ruin his life. He’s a family man and a great guy. He’s an upbeat guy and a go-getter, and he’ll overcome this.”

Sensky-Kirsch said the family is trying to find the best in the situation as her father begins to heal. Sensky received several pints of blood at the hospital, and Sensky-Kirsch is encouraging people to donate blood at a blood drive or at a blood donation center.

Sensky-Kirsch, her husband, Casey Kirsch, and her mom plan to remain with Senksy until he is able to be transported for medical care to central Florida, where Sensky and his wife usually spend the winter months near family. Sensky-Kirsch said the trip to Florida will be “tricky,” and his family is concerned about how his surgically repaired legs will do on the journey.

Sensky, however, is looking forward to the trip.

“As much as I want to get back to Pennsylvania, I’m waiting for the snow to be gone,” said Sensky. “I’ll be back in the spring.”

Despite his ordeal, Sensky, a lifelong Pittsburgh Steelers fan, was ready on Saturday to watch the black-and-gold play the Cincinnati Bengals (the Steelers lost 19-17 to the Bengals in the final game of the season).

“One of the first things he asked when they took out the ventilator was, ‘Did the Steelers win?'” said Sensky-Kirsch. “We told him that it was the wrong day, they hadn’t played yet.”

Sensky has been interviewed by the FBI as they piece together the incident.

“He’s so lucky to be alive. Many families here did not get the news we did. The road ahead is unpredictable, but we’re so grateful for everyone who has reached out in support. It’s been incredible,” said Sensky-Hirsch.

“We will pay all of the support that’s been given to us forward once we get back on our feet – or our wheels. My dad will soon be out on the streets of Sanford, Fla., dancing to music and enjoying his life. My dad wants everyone to ‘keep on keeping on’ and for them to enjoy and be grateful for their lives.”

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