A medical helicopter crashed on a highway in Sacramento, critically injuring three people aboard, including a woman who was pinned underneath and was rescued with the help of motorists who lifted part of the aircraft, according to officials.
The helicopter had taken a patient to a hospital and was on the way back to the place it had been dispatched from when it experienced an “in-air emergency” just after 7 p.m. Monday, said Captain Justin Sylvia, a spokesperson for the Sacramento Fire Department. He said it appears the helicopter crashed upside-down and left a large debris field.
The injured crew members, consisting of a pilot, nurse, and paramedic, were transported to hospitals, all in critical condition. Remarkably, no one on the highway was injured, a fact described as “mind-blowing” by Sylvia, considering the crash's location.
Eyewitness accounts suggest that motorists slowed down as they saw the helicopter descending rapidly. “It took every ounce of all approximately 15 people to move that aircraft just enough to get her out,” noted Sylvia regarding the rescue efforts. Despite the severity of the accident, the helicopter did not catch fire.
The crash resulted in the closure of the eastbound lanes of Highway 50, as per officer Mike Carrillo, a spokesperson for the Valley Division of California Highway Patrol. Images shared online depicted a long line of cars backed up behind the downed helicopter.
REACH Air Medical, the operator of the helicopter, expressed its concern for those affected and stated, We are in the process of determining the details of this situation, as well as the condition of the REACH crew involved, who were all taken to area hospitals.”
The details surrounding the crash continue to unfold, with the investigation ongoing, as Councilwoman Lisa Kaplan, present during the incident, expressed her sentiments regarding the dangers associated with medical flights and the gratitude owed to first responders.
