Sacramento helicopter crash victims’ update | West Coast Wrap
We have an update on the three people on board a medical helicopter that crashed on a Sacramento freeway this week. What authorities are saying about their conditions and how the company that owns the chopper is showing its appreciation for the bystanders who helped at the scene.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A nurse who was among three crew members injured in a medical helicopter crash on Highway 50 in Sacramento has died, officials said.
Victim identified
What we know:
The nurse was identified as Susan “Suzie” Smith, who worked for REACH Air Medical Services.
The company announced Saturday that Smith died from injuries sustained in the Oct. 6 crash.
“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,” the agency said in a statement. “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.”
Procession honors fallen nurse
Why you should care:
A procession was held Sunday to honor Smith with a final flight. Her body was flown from Sacramento to Red Bluff before being escorted home to Palo Cedro.
Preliminary crash details
Dig deeper:
Smith, pilot Chad Millward, and paramedic Margaret “DeDe” Davis were aboard the helicopter when it experienced what officials called an “in-air emergency,” according to KCRA.
The aircraft went down just after 7 p.m. last Monday on Highway 50, just east of Stockton Boulevard. Authorities said the helicopter had departed a hospital after dropping off a patient when it crashed.
Both Millward and Davis remain in critical but stable condition, according to KCRA.
Dramatic rescue effort
Sacramento Fire Capt. Peter Vandersluis said he led an impromptu rescue team of about 15 drivers who helped lift the wreckage off a trapped paramedic.
“Just out of instinct — the people were there willing to help, and they didn’t hesitate and followed my exact commands,” Vandersluis told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “And we were able to lift it up with ease.”
Vandersluis, who was supervising the first engine crew to arrive, said he knew additional rescue teams would take too long.
“Once I heard the woman groan, I made the decision to essentially yell out and get the bystanders to help lift the helicopter off of her,” Vandersluis said..
A firefighter crawled under the wreckage, cut the paramedic’s seat belt, and pulled her out. The group raised the helicopter in about 30 seconds, freeing the trapped crew member in less than a minute.
Drivers had already stopped to assist before firefighters arrived. Among them was Aimee Braddock, who told KCRA she ran toward the crash when she saw the helicopter fall.
“As soon as I saw that everybody was moving to try to push the helicopter out to help the first responders get to the passenger, I just ran over and got in the line of people and was just pushing it as much as I could,” Braddock recounted. “Then we held it for several minutes, so the first responder could get the person out.”
Firefighters said the helicopter did not catch fire, though white smoke billowed from the wreckage. Vandersluis said the smoke came from the aircraft’s onboard fire extinguisher system.
No one on the highway was injured, something Capt. Justin Sylvia of the Sacramento Fire Department called “mind-blowing.”
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the crash of the Airbus EC-130 T2 helicopter.
The Source: Information for this story was obtained from the Associated Press, REACH Air Medical Services, Shasta County Search and Rescue Jeep Patrol, along with previous reporting.