Drivers quickly came to the rescue and helped lift a medical helicopter that crashed and landed upside-down, trapping a person underneath, on a Sacramento highway Monday night, according to California officials.
A pilot, a nurse and a paramedic were onboard, including the trapped woman, and all three were critically injured, authorities said.
Luckily, no pedestrians were harmed as many drivers noticed the helicopter heading towards the highway and reduced their speed. Sacramento Fire Department Captain Justin Sylvia commented that the absence of injuries was astonishing.
Witnesses recounted the frightening moment when they saw the helicopter descending towards them amid traffic that was already slowed by construction. Some passersby recorded footage of the helicopter’s “violently shaking” landing gear before it reportedly “just plummeted out of the sky,” as shared with KCRA-TV.
An instant later they had pivoted from facing possible death, to saving a life.
“There was no truck on the scene with extrication equipment at that moment, only a fire engine,” Sylvia explained. “The captain quickly rallied civilians nearby to assist in lifting the helicopter off the trapped individual.”
They rushed over without hesitation, hoisted the helicopter and held it aloft for several minutes while paramedics got the woman out from underneath.
The Reach Air Medical Services H130 helicopter, made by Airbus, crashed just east of downtown Sacramento shortly after delivering a patient to UC Davis Medical Center. Initially, smoke and steam emerged, but the aircraft’s design prevented an outbreak of fire.
The incident led to the temporary closure of a section of State Route 50, as investigators examined the site and crews cleared debris from both sides of the highway. The route was reopened by Tuesday.
With News Wire Services
