Medical Helicopter Crash in California
A group of bystanders quickly intervened to help after a medical helicopter went down on a California highway Monday evening, trapping the crew inside.
This incident took place on Highway 50, just east of downtown Sacramento. As a result, the pilot, nurse, and paramedic were hospitalized in critical condition. The helicopter had just left a hospital after dropping off a patient when an “air emergency” emerged, leading to the crash shortly after 7 p.m., according to reports. REACH Air Medical Services confirmed that one of their helicopters was involved, with an update stating that all three crew members remain hospitalized.
Sacramento Fire Department Capt. Peter Vanders-Lewis mentioned that he had to quickly organize about 15 bystanders to lift the helicopter off the trapped paramedic. “People jumped in to help instinctively,” he noted, adding that they followed his instructions without delay. “It was fairly straightforward to lift,” he commented.
Vanders-Lewis, who oversaw the initial fire crews at the scene, realized that they couldn’t wait for additional help. “I heard a woman moaning, and that’s when I shouted for people to assist in getting the helicopter off of her,” he said.
Eyewitness Amy Braddock described the scene, saying, “It just dropped from the sky and hit hard.” She recalled the moment when black smoke erupted everywhere, engulfing the area.
“When I saw others starting to help, I immediately joined in to push the helicopter,” she recounted.
One firefighter, trying to save the paramedic, discovered she was stuck by her seatbelt. Firefighters crawled beneath the wreck and managed to free her. Remarkably, the collective effort lifted the helicopter in about 30 seconds, allowing paramedics to reach the crew members within a minute.
Capt. Justin Sylvia from the Sacramento Fire Department shared that he was initially responding to a vehicle rescue and wasn’t aware it was a helicopter incident. The team lacked the equipment needed for extracting survivors, but around 15 bystanders stepped in to assist.
According to the fire department, there were no patients onboard the helicopter. REACH Medical Services later released names and updates on the crew’s conditions, stating that Captain Chad Millward and Flight Paramedic Margaret ‘Dede’ Davis are both in critical but stable condition, while Flight Nurse Susan ‘Susie’ Smith remains in critical and unstable condition.
The organization expressed deep gratitude towards the bystanders who came forward to help during this crisis and mentioned they are cooperating with ongoing investigations by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration.
