Yahoo News Austin Hatch—Who Survived 2 Plane Crashes That Killed His Family—Becomes a Dad: 'Grateful' (Exclusive)
"It's all about being a great husband to my wife, who is an incredible mom, and sharing the lessons from my dad with our son and future generations," Austin Hatch tells PEOPLE
Austin Hatch survived not one but two plane crashes as a kid — and the precious yet limited years he had with his family are what inspires him to be the best husband and father he can be.
Living today in Ann Arbor, Mich., with his wife Abby, whom he married in June 2018, and their 6-month old son, Hudson, Austin reflects reflects for the first time on how he got to the happiest place he's ever been, having turned those unimaginable tragedies into a life filled with purpose.
In this week's issue of PEOPLE, Austin, 28, says he was born into "an incredible family" and was living the "childhood that most kids dream of" when tragedy first struck in 2003, changing life as he knew it forever.
When he was just 8, his family's single-engine plane crashed into a utility pole in Wells County, Indiana, killing his mother, Julie, 38, and siblings Lindsay, 11, and Ian, 5, as they traveled home from their Walloon Lake, Michigan, lake house.
"It was devastating tragedy, a devastating loss," he says about the incident. "My dad and I did our best to press on during the midst of that, but that's not something you ever really get through. You just adjust to the new normal. I followed my dad's lead on that."
He kept on following his dad's lead as they rebuilt their lives together, one day at a time. Austin went on to become an all-star high school basketball player, and in 2011, was flying to the family's lake house to celebrate his recent win: landing a college scholarship to the University of Michigan.
And yet despite the unbelievable odds, tragedy struck again when their new plane stalled and crashed into a garage in Charlevoix, Michigan, killing dad Stephen, 46, and Austin's stepmother, Kim, 44.
Austin barely survived, was put into a medically induced coma for two months to treat a traumatic brain injury and sustained broken collarbones and a punctured lung.
"The chances of surviving two plane crashes is 1 in 11 quadrillion and 560 trillion," says Austin, who had to relearn how to walk, talk, and eat — all while struggling with the emotional pain of losing his entire family. "I shouldn't have survived, but I did, so there must have been some purpose in it."
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A year later, Austin went to the University of Michigan and met Abby, "the girl of his dreams," when she walked in late on the first day of a political science class and flagged her down. "I said, 'I got a seat next to me,' and we hit it off,'" recalls Austin.
The rest is history for the two, who started dating a couple months later and got married just two months after they graduated. Then they started their journey to become parents.
"She's an incredible wife and I am so grateful for her," says Austin, who wife welcomed their baby boy Hudson into the world on his 28th birthday in October 2022, following two years of IVF treatments. "I don't think that mindset is necessarily due to what I've lost, but maybe it has given me an even greater appreciation for the woman she is."
It was Abby who also encouraged him to try and inspire others, so in 2019, after working in the corporate office of Domino's and speaking to local organizations on the side, Austin left his job to pursue motivational speaking full-time.
He founded the Overcome It seminar series, and has since spoken to over 300 schools, churches, organizations and companies with the mission to "empower your team to achieve your goals."
On Thursday, he will be flying to Annapolis, Maryland, to speak at the Naval Academy after a few midshipmen studied his story and used it as an example for overcoming adversity.
"He feels a really clear sense of purpose right now with what he's doing," says Abby, 27. "I think you go through that twice and you know you're on this earth for a reason. And there's a lot of different reasons for that, most of which we'll never know. But he talks about his purpose when he speaks, and it's his family. It's honoring his family in heaven, his family here, us."
"It's all about being a great husband to my wife, who is an incredible mom, and sharing the lessons from my dad with our son and future generations," he adds.
Related:Grandparents Killed in Plane Crash on Their Way to North Carolina to See Family for Thanksgiving
As a result of the hard life lessons Austin has learned, the couple doesn't waste a single moment. Every morning, Austin and Abby race each other to Hudson's nursery. Leaning over his crib, they are usually greeted with "the absolute biggest smile you've ever seen," says Abby.
They then bundle Hudson up in his stroller, put a leash on their golden retriever Benny and walk around Ann Arbor. The couple uses this time to check in with each other, often talking about the dream home they're building in the suburbs, where they'll move in September. In the mornings, Austin makes Abby "fancy coffees" and they take turns changing diapers.
While Austin focuses on the family he has created, he makes sure he's always honoring the family he lost.
Says Austin: "I do everything I can to keep their spirit and their memory alive every day."
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