OTHERS. AMEN. COMING TOGETHER IN PRAYER, YOU CAN FEEL EVERYBODY CAME TOGETHER IN OUR HEARTS. WE’RE COMING TOGETHER. WE’RE SHOWING OUR LOVE. WE’RE SHOWING OUR SUPPORT. AND WE’RE PRAYING. BEING POSITIVE FOR THE FAMILIES AND THE CREW. THE MEDICAL CREW IS FIGHTING FOR THEIR LIVES AT THE UC DAVIS MEDICAL CENTER AFTER A HELICOPTER CRASH IN SACRAMENTO MONDAY NIGHT. SEEING WHAT WAS GOING ON AND MY HEART WAS JUST POURING OUT FOR HER AND THE CREW, THOSE PRAYERS FOR PILOT CHAD MILWARD, PARAMEDIC MARGARET DEEDEE DAVIS AND FLIGHT NURSE SUSAN SMITH. SUSIE WAS SUCH A SWEET PERSON AND IT WILL ALWAYS BE FAMILY HERE. IT’S LIKE, SO YOU HAVE TO COME OUT AND SUPPORT YOUR FAMILY. THURSDAY NIGHT, MORE THAN 100 PEOPLE GATHERED FRIENDS, FAMILY AND FIRST RESPONDERS TO PRAY FOR THE CREWS RECOVERY. THIS WHOLE HEALING JOURNEY TO HELP THEM RECOVER, FIRST RESPONDERS ALSO DISPLAYED THE AMERICAN FLAG TO HONOR THEM. I’M OVERWHELMED WITH THE SUPPORT WE ARE. WE ARE CARING, LOVING COMMUNITY. WE REALLY ARE. AND I’M AND I’M GLAD I’M A PART OF IT. IT WAS A MOMENT TO COME TOGETHER, TO HEAL, TO HOPE AND TO GIVE THANKS. I JUST I CAN’T STOP WATCHING THE THE VIDEO OF THEM JUST LIFTING UP THAT HELICOPTER. IT’S LIKE SUPER POWERS TO GET THOSE PEOPLE OUT. SO THOSE PEOPLE ARE BIG. THANK YOU. IN REDDING CAROLINA ESTRADA KCRA THREE NEWS. AND WE ARE FOLLOWING THE STORY ON AIR AND ONLINE. WE WILL GIVE YOU UPDATES ON THE CONDITIONS OF THE THREE CREW MEMBERS
Suzie Smith, nurse onboard Sacramento helicopter that crashed, has died
Updated: 12:44 PM PDT Oct 11, 2025
One of the three injured crew members on board a medical helicopter that crashed on Oct. 6 on Highway 50 in Sacramento has died at the hospital.Susan “Suzie” Smith, a nurse from Redding working for REACH Air Medical Services, died Friday evening surrounded by family and friends, according to the family’s pastor, Travis Osborne. (Video above: Community gathers in Redding for vigil after helicopter crash.)No patient was on board when the helicopter crashed for unknown reasons on eastbound Highway 50 just east of Stockton Boulevard. The three injured crew members, including Smith, were Pilot Chad Millward and Paramedic Margaret “DeDe” Davis, both in critical yet stable condition.Smith’s husband, RJ Smith, in a Facebook post, wrote: “Even in death as an organ donor she will help someone else live on. The hospital did the heroes walk for her hundreds of people lined the hallways as they took her to the operating room.”REACH released a statement regarding Smith’s passing:Our REACH family is devastated to share that Susan “Suzie” Smith has passed away from injuries sustained during the accident involving helicopter N414RX on Highway 50 on Monday night. We will remember Suzie as a pillar of the EMS and healthcare community who saved countless lives by delivering compassionate care in their darkest hours. Suzie’s 50-year career as a nurse included nearly 21 years with REACH, and we are proud to call her our colleague and friend. We hope she is remembered for the light she brought to every call, every shift, and every patient she blessed with her care. We grieve Suzie’s loss with her family, friends, colleagues and the entire community that she faithfully served. Her impact will be felt for years to come through the lives she touched, the teams she strengthened, and the compassion she embodied. Thank you for keeping Suzie’s loved ones and our REACH family in your thoughts and support for our team during this difficult time.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
One of the three injured crew members on board a medical helicopter that crashed on Oct. 6 on Highway 50 in Sacramento has died at the hospital.
Susan “Suzie” Smith, a nurse from Redding working for REACH Air Medical Services, died Friday evening surrounded by family and friends, according to the family’s pastor, Travis Osborne.
(Video above: Community gathers in Redding for vigil after helicopter crash.)
No patient was on board when the helicopter crashed for unknown reasons on eastbound Highway 50 just east of Stockton Boulevard. The three injured crew members, including Smith, were Pilot Chad Millward and Paramedic Margaret “DeDe” Davis, both in critical yet stable condition.
Smith’s husband, RJ Smith, in a Facebook post, wrote: “Even in death as an organ donor she will help someone else live on. The hospital did the heroes walk for her hundreds of people lined the hallways as they took her to the operating room.”
REACH released a statement regarding Smith’s passing:
Our REACH family is devastated to share that Susan “Suzie” Smith has passed away from injuries sustained during the accident involving helicopter N414RX on Highway 50 on Monday night.
We will remember Suzie as a pillar of the EMS and healthcare community who saved countless lives by delivering compassionate care in their darkest hours. Suzie’s 50-year career as a nurse included nearly 21 years with REACH, and we are proud to call her our colleague and friend. We hope she is remembered for the light she brought to every call, every shift, and every patient she blessed with her care.
We grieve Suzie’s loss with her family, friends, colleagues and the entire community that she faithfully served. Her impact will be felt for years to come through the lives she touched, the teams she strengthened, and the compassion she embodied. Thank you for keeping Suzie’s loved ones and our REACH family in your thoughts and support for our team during this difficult time.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel