HELI HORROR

Medical Helicopter Crash on Highway Leaves 3 Critically Injured

Emergency official says it’s “mind-blowing” that nobody on the ground was hurt in terrifying crash.

A medical helicopter crashed onto a highway near Sacramento, California, critically injuring three crew members, including one who was left trapped under the wreckage. The REACH Air Medical flight had dropped its patient at a hospital and was on its way back to base when it flipped and crashed on Highway 50 on Monday. Sacramento Fire Department spokesperson Captain Justin Sylvia said the chopper had suffered an “in-air emergency” around 7 p.m. Firefighters and motorists joined forces to free a woman trapped under the wreckage, KSNB4 reports. “It took every ounce of all, approximately, 15 people to move that aircraft up just enough to get her out,” Sylvia said, describing it as “mind-blowing” that no one on the highway was hurt. “People reported that they basically saw the helicopter kind of going down quickly. So all the traffic slowed down,” he explained. The three crew members—the pilot, a nurse, and a paramedic—were said to be in critical condition. An investigation has been launched into the causes of the crash. Sacramento City Councilwoman Lisa Kaplan was in the air with a law enforcement unit that responded to the crash and described seeing white smoke billowing from the helicopter. “It’s really sombering and sobering,” she said.