Boy, 10, left fighting for his life after shielding his little sister from Philadelphia plane crash debris

A ten-year-old boy was left fighting for his life after protecting his sister in the Philadelphia plane crash.

The US has seen a series of tragic events in the past month, with the Philadelphia plane crash being among the latest as a medical jet carrying a child patient and her mother crashed in a neighborhood in northeast Philadelphia on January 31.

The plane crash tragically left seven people dead, including one who was on the ground in a car.

On Saturday morning, Mexico’s president confirmed that the six people who were on the plane were all Mexican nationals. There are at least 19 people who were injured in the incident, including 10-year-old Andre Howard.

At the time of the crash, Andre was with his younger sister and father as a bystander. According to 6abc Philadelphia, Andre is believed to be one of the very first patients who arrived at Jefferson Torresdale Hospital.

Speaking to 6abc Philadelphia, heartbroken Andre’s mother, Lashawn Hamiel said: “My baby’s in there. It’s hard to see him like that," with tears streaming down her face. "As a mother, what am I supposed to do? But he’s good. He’s pushing through.”

Ten year old Andre's mother said her son is 'pushing through' (6abc Philadelphia)

Andre was injured protecting his sister (6abc)

Andre’s father, also called Andre, initially thought the plane was a car crash.

"But then you see a flurry of fire in the air and then a bunch of debris shooting everywhere," he recalled.

Detailing the details of his son's injury, he continued: “My son… tells his little sister to get down and he grabs her. I hear the glass shatter, I turn around, there’s a piece of metal sticking out of my son’s head from the plane.”

However, the boy’s father signals that there is hope

He continued: “They pretty much told us my son wasn’t supposed to make it. Jefferson also told us that they didn’t do children's trauma surgeries. But they did for us, which was nothing but God.”

10 year old Andre's dad detailed the situation (6abc Philadelphia)

Doctors initially told Andre that his son would never walk again. But the ten-year-old has made miraculous improvements overnight.

Sharing how the bravery of his son moved him, Andre said: “To face death yesterday and speaking today, stepping up for his sister like I trained him and his other brothers to do, off of instinct - he’s my hero.”

His mother added: “He’s strong. He’s a jokester but he’s strong… He’s a superhero."

Doctors are reportedly working around the clock to keep him stable and comfortable to help restore him to a full recovery.