THE WEST COAST. WE ARE LEARNING NEW DETAILS TONIGHT ABOUT MONDAY’S HELICOPTER CRASH ON HIGHWAY 50. THE FAMILY OF ONE OF THE CREW MEMBERS SHARED ON SOCIAL MEDIA THAT SUZY SMITH, THE FLIGHT NURSE, HAS PASSED AWAY. TWO CREW MEMBERS ARE STILL IN THE HOSPITAL TONIGHT. PILOT CHAD MILLWARD AND PARAMEDIC MARGARET DAVIS ARE BOTH IN CRITICAL BUT STABLE CONDITION. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US AFTER THE GAME. I’M CECIL HANNIBAL KCRA 3’S CORTEZ SPOKE WITH A FORMER COLLEAGUE AND A LONGTIME FRIEND OF SUZY. FOR 50 YEARS, SUZY SMITH CARRIED MORE THAN MEDICAL GEAR. ALWAYS AT YOUR SIX. AT YOUR SIDE A GUARDIAN ANGEL FOR EACH PATIENT WHO NEEDED HER COLLEAGUES THAT DEPENDED ON HER. WE HAD A TRAINING THING, A PHILOSOPHY OF YOU CAN’T DO THE BEST WITHOUT BEING PREPARED TO DO THE BEST. AND SHE PREPARED TO DO THE BEST. ALMOST ALL THE TIME. LARRY BROWN IS NOW LEFT WITH THE MEMORIES OF HIS FORMER COLLEAGUE, ONE OF THE THREE CREW MEMBERS ON BOARD THIS WEEK’S DEADLY HELICOPTER CRASH ON HIGHWAY 50. THOSE LAST FEW SECONDS BEFORE IMPACT. IT’S THE PART THAT HURTS ME THE MOST BECAUSE NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO AND NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRAIN, SOMETIMES THE SITUATION IS JUST OUT OF YOUR CONTROL. REACH MEDICAL CONFIRMING WITH KCRA THREE NEWS OF SMITH’S PASSING, WRITING, WE GRIEVE SUSIE’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 TEAM SHE STRENGTHENED, AND THE COMPASSION SHE EMBODIED. YOU HAVE TO BE AN EXPERT AT SO MANY THINGS, AND IT TAKES A WHILE TO GET THERE. AND YOU DON’T GET THAT. IN THE FIRST FIVE YEARS OF FLYING, YOU GET THAT OVER A CAREER. SMITH, WITH THE TWO OTHER CREW MEMBERS, WERE MAKING A ROUTINE TRIP BACK HOME TO REDDING AFTER DROPPING OFF A PATIENT AT UC DAVIS MEDICAL CENTER. SHE WOULD NOT KNOW IT WOULD BE HER LAST SELFLESS ACT. WE’RE NOT MILITARY, AND THE MILITARY HAS MISSIONS AND MISSIONS. YOU DON’T ALWAYS COME BACK FROM MISSIONS. AND SO WHEN YOU’RE DOING IT FOR GOD AND COUNTRY, IT’S ONE THING. BUT WHEN YOU’RE JUST DOING IT FOR YOURSELF BECAUSE OF THE COMPASSION THAT YOU HAVE FOR OTHER PEOPLE, KNOWING THAT IF I DON’T GO TO WORK, SOMEBODY MIGHT NOT GET THE BEST CARE THAT THAT I COULD PROVIDE SUSIE WITH THAT KIND OF PERSON IN SACRAMENTO. AND CORTEZ. KCRA THREE NEWS. WE KNOW SMITH DID MANY HUMANITARIAN EFFORTS TAKING TRIPS TO NICARAGUA TO HELP AN ORPHANAGE, AND WAS ALSO AN ORGAN DONOR. OUR THOUGHTS ARE WITH THE SMITH FAMILY TONIGHT. WE’LL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THIS STORY ON AIR AND ONLINE AS WE GET UPDATES ON THE CONDITION OF OTHER CREW MEMBERS INJURED IN THIS CRASH A
Suzie Smith remembered by friends, colleagues following deadly Sacramento helicopter crash
REACH Air Medical announced the death of one of three crew members in the Highway 50 crash
Updated: 9:06 PM PDT Oct 11, 2025
Suzie Smith, a devoted medical professional, is being remembered for her unwavering dedication and compassion following her death in a helicopter crash on Highway 50. Larry Brown, a former colleague of Smith at REACH Air Medical Services, reflected on her commitment to excellence. “We had a training thing. philosophy of you can’t do the best without being prepared to do the best, and she prepared to do the best almost all the time,” Brown said. REACH Medical confirmed Smith’s death Saturday morning, sharing the following statement: “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.””Those last few seconds before impact. That’s the part that hurts me the most because no matter what you do and no matter how hard you train, sometimes the situation is just out of your control,” Brown said, expressing sorrow over the crashSmith and her fellow crew members were returning to Redding after a routine trip to UC Davis Medical Center, where they had dropped off a patient. Brown further described Smith’s selflessness, saying, “We’re not military, and the military has missions. And in missions, you don’t always come back from missions, so when you’re doing it for God and country, it’s one thing. But when you’re just doing it for yourself because of the compassion that you have for other people, knowing that, ‘if I don’t go to work, somebody might not get the best care that I could provide,’ Suzie was that kind of person.”Smith’s family shared their sorrow and hope in a statement, saying: “It is with deep sorrow, yet deeper hope, that we share the passing of our beloved Suzie Smith, who has gone from this life into the waiting arms of her Savior, Jesus Christ. Suzie’s life was not wasted but poured out with purpose, courage, and deep intention. Her legacy reminds us to live boldly, love freely, and never hold back the good we can give when we follow Him.” They also extended thanks to the medical staff and REACH Air Medical Services, stating, “We also extend heartfelt thanks to the doctors and staff at UC Davis Medical Center for their exceptional care, not only for Suzie, but for our entire family, and to REACH Air Medical Services for treating each of us as their own.”In honor of Smith’s legacy, her family encourages spreading kindness, loving neighbors, volunteering, lifting up those in need, and making every second count.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. —
Suzie Smith, a devoted medical professional, is being remembered for her unwavering dedication and compassion following her death in a helicopter crash on Highway 50.
Larry Brown, a former colleague of Smith at REACH Air Medical Services, reflected on her commitment to excellence.
“We had a training thing. [A] philosophy of you can’t do the best without being prepared to do the best, and she prepared to do the best almost all the time,” Brown said.
REACH Medical confirmed Smith’s death Saturday morning, sharing the following statement:
“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.”
“Those last few seconds before impact. That’s the part that hurts me the most because no matter what you do and no matter how hard you train, sometimes the situation is just out of your control,” Brown said, expressing sorrow over the crash
Smith and her fellow crew members were returning to Redding after a routine trip to UC Davis Medical Center, where they had dropped off a patient.
Brown further described Smith’s selflessness, saying, “We’re not military, and the military has missions. And in missions, you don’t always come back from missions, so when you’re doing it for God and country, it’s one thing. But when you’re just doing it for yourself because of the compassion that you have for other people, knowing that, ‘if I don’t go to work, somebody might not get the best care that I could provide,’ Suzie was that kind of person.”
Smith’s family shared their sorrow and hope in a statement, saying:
“It is with deep sorrow, yet deeper hope, that we share the passing of our beloved Suzie Smith, who has gone from this life into the waiting arms of her Savior, Jesus Christ. Suzie’s life was not wasted but poured out with purpose, courage, and deep intention. Her legacy reminds us to live boldly, love freely, and never hold back the good we can give when we follow Him.”
They also extended thanks to the medical staff and REACH Air Medical Services, stating, “We also extend heartfelt thanks to the doctors and staff at UC Davis Medical Center for their exceptional care, not only for Suzie, but for our entire family, and to REACH Air Medical Services for treating each of us as their own.”
In honor of Smith’s legacy, her family encourages spreading kindness, loving neighbors, volunteering, lifting up those in need, and making every second count.
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