WORCESTER, Mass. - We are hearing from the survivor of a plane crash in Stow. The crash happened last Sunday. 

Robert Bauer was on the plane with his daughter and brother after picking her up from a hockey camp in Lake Placid. After an unsuccessful landing attempt, they tried going up again but were unable to get proper altitude, resulting in their small plane crashing between homes near the Minute Man Air Field in Stow. 

The three were flown by life flight to UMass Memorial Medical Center where they are currently receiving care. Bauer, who is now in a halo brace, spoke about the harrowing incident Saturday.

"I'm just sitting there, and I'm noticing the trees are pretty close as we were taking off," said Bauer. "And then I hear him say, 'Hey, I can't lift off, I can't lift off. We're going to crash. Get ready.' then at that moment, felt an impact, saw some green and then, blacked out."

Bauer would get emotional while speaking Saturday. He went on about seeing his family following the crash.

"Just holding their hands, just hugging it out," he said. "I got to hug them. I'm going to get emotional because I got to hug them. I got to hug my daughter and brother. Sorry. You have no idea how good that felt. I'm not supposed to be here, you know?"

Bauer has several injuries including broken c-1 and c-2 vertebrae. He says he shouldn't be able to walk, and he thanked those who are caring for him following the scary incident. For one member of the life flight crew, it was her first call as a flight nurse after finishing her training.

"The first thing I said to him was 'I'm really sorry that you just were in a plane crash, and we're putting you back into an aircraft," said flight nurse Andrea Knox. "He laughed. But, honestly, he was doing so well the entire time and I was just really, after the fact looking back, I was just very proud to be part of a team who was able to be part of his recovery."

"You never know what you're going to get," said UMass Memorial Medical Center trauma surgeon John Dorfman. "Sometimes things sound dramatic and they're not. And sometimes they don't sound dramatic and patients are very sick. So, he, fortunately, has done wonderful despite having significant, life-threatening injuries."

Bauer says his brother deserves credit for not crashing into any houses and keeping the three of them alive. While the road ahead remains long, Bauer says all three of them are expected to make recoveries following the crash.