Three crew members who were on board a medical helicopter are in critical condition after the aircraft crashed on Highway 50 on Monday night, according to the California Highway Patrol. CHP traffic logs indicate the crash was reported just after 7 p.m. on eastbound Highway 50 just east of Stockton Boulevard. The freeway was closed for hours before crews reopened the roads around 1:20 a.m. Tuesday.Watch aerial video from LiveCopter 3 below:The Sacramento Fire Department said three people were in critical condition following the crash. There was no patient on board, the fire department said, but there was a pilot, nurse and paramedic.UC Davis Medical Center said all three patients are being treated at its facility.Friends have identified one of the crew members as Suzie Smith, a long-time flight nurse who is based in Redding. One of Smith’s friends said the nurse would travel to Nicaragua every year to fix cleft palates and described her as the most giving person she’s ever known. “She’s just one of those exceptional people who’s out there using her, you know, her intelligence in that to help people. But just that type of person who will go over there on her own expense and help those people,” said Mary Beaver, a longtime friend of Smith.Her pastor, Travis Osborne, said Smith remains in critical condition as of Tuesday evening. Telling KCRA that she’s being treated for numerous injuries, including brain swelling.”We are just praying for a miracle. We know God hears our prayers, and it’s dire. You know, she’s in a dire situation,” said Osborne.Smith’s friends also shared gratitude for the numerous bystanders who rushed into the dangerous crash scene to help.Capt. Justin Sylvia, a spokesperson for the fire department, said it initially received a “vehicle extrication assignment,” unaware that the crash involved a helicopter. That meant the crew that responded to the crash site was equipped to pull people from vehicles and not aircraft.Upon arrival, Sylvia said crews learned one person was trapped under the helicopter. A group of around 15 bystanders rushed in to help first responders lift the helicopter off the trapped person, officials said.”It just shows a sense of community that everyone wants to lend a hand,” Sylvia said. “Everyone wants to help out when the time comes, and this was one of those times where we needed that help.” Hear from a civilian who jumped in to help here. No other vehicles were hit by the helicopter or involved in the crash, officials said. Read more about the helicopter involved in the crash here. Caltrans traffic cameras showed heavy backup on Highway 50 due to the crash. Other photos from drivers showed a small plume of smoke rising from the area where the crash occurred, but Sacramento Fire said no fire sparked from the crash.Sylvia said the situation would have been much worse if the aircraft had ignited. That would have meant crews needing to transport water onto the freeway, and access was already a challenge for first responders because of heavy traffic at the time.See more about the history of helicopter crashes here.When asked if the helicopter was trying to make an emergency landing, CHP spokesperson Michael Harper said that it is not yet known. However, a TikTok video obtained by KCRA 3 shows a helicopter flying low above the freeway. The helicopter is briefly off-screen before the video pans back to the aircraft, which is now on its side, rotors tearing into the road.Hear from some first responders who witnessed crash aftermath here.Sacramento Councilmember Lisa Kaplan shared a photo of the crash, showing long traffic backups in the area when the crash initially happened.REACH Air Medical Services shared a statement on its social media following the crash:”We are aware of an accident involving a REACH Air Medical helicopter on Highway 50 in Sacramento this evening and are keeping all those impacted in our thoughts and prayers.We are in the process of determining the details of this situation, as well as the condition of the REACH crew involved, who were all taken to area hospitals. We will continue to provide information as it becomes available. There was no patient on board.We appreciate the concern and support from our community and will share updates when appropriate.” Flight records show that the helicopter left Redding Regional Airport at 5:05 p.m., landed at Red Bluff Airport at 5:17 p.m. and left at 5:50 p.m. before landing at the UC Davis Medical Center at 6:36 p.m.Flightradar24 data then shows the aircraft departed from the medical center at 7:05 p.m. before it disappeared from the radar once it flew above Highway 50. The entire flight lasted less than 30 seconds before the crash.UC Davis is the only level 1 trauma center in the region, and it serves critical patients across 33 counties.Both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are now investigating the crash.This is a developing story. Stay with KCRA 3 for the latest.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
Three crew members who were on board a medical helicopter are in critical condition after the aircraft crashed on Highway 50 on Monday night, according to the California Highway Patrol.
CHP traffic logs indicate the crash was reported just after 7 p.m. on eastbound Highway 50 just east of Stockton Boulevard. The freeway was closed for hours before crews reopened the roads around 1:20 a.m. Tuesday.
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The Sacramento Fire Department said three people were in critical condition following the crash. There was no patient on board, the fire department said, but there was a pilot, nurse and paramedic.
UC Davis Medical Center said all three patients are being treated at its facility.
Friends have identified one of the crew members as Suzie Smith, a long-time flight nurse who is based in Redding.
One of Smith’s friends said the nurse would travel to Nicaragua every year to fix cleft palates and described her as the most giving person she’s ever known.
“She’s just one of those exceptional people who’s out there using her, you know, her intelligence in that to help people. But just that type of person who will go over there on her own expense and help those people,” said Mary Beaver, a longtime friend of Smith.
Her pastor, Travis Osborne, said Smith remains in critical condition as of Tuesday evening. Telling KCRA that she’s being treated for numerous injuries, including brain swelling.
“We are just praying for a miracle. We know God hears our prayers, and it’s dire. You know, she’s in a dire situation,” said Osborne.
Smith’s friends also shared gratitude for the numerous bystanders who rushed into the dangerous crash scene to help.
Capt. Justin Sylvia, a spokesperson for the fire department, said it initially received a “vehicle extrication assignment,” unaware that the crash involved a helicopter. That meant the crew that responded to the crash site was equipped to pull people from vehicles and not aircraft.
Upon arrival, Sylvia said crews learned one person was trapped under the helicopter. A group of around 15 bystanders rushed in to help first responders lift the helicopter off the trapped person, officials said.
“It just shows a sense of community that everyone wants to lend a hand,” Sylvia said. “Everyone wants to help out when the time comes, and this was one of those times where we needed that help.”
Hear from a civilian who jumped in to help here.
No other vehicles were hit by the helicopter or involved in the crash, officials said. Read more about the helicopter involved in the crash here.
Caltrans traffic cameras showed heavy backup on Highway 50 due to the crash.
Other photos from drivers showed a small plume of smoke rising from the area where the crash occurred, but Sacramento Fire said no fire sparked from the crash.
Sylvia said the situation would have been much worse if the aircraft had ignited. That would have meant crews needing to transport water onto the freeway, and access was already a challenge for first responders because of heavy traffic at the time.
See more about the history of helicopter crashes here.
When asked if the helicopter was trying to make an emergency landing, CHP spokesperson Michael Harper said that it is not yet known. However, a TikTok video obtained by KCRA 3 shows a helicopter flying low above the freeway. The helicopter is briefly off-screen before the video pans back to the aircraft, which is now on its side, rotors tearing into the road.
Hear from some first responders who witnessed crash aftermath here.
Sacramento Councilmember Lisa Kaplan shared a photo of the crash, showing long traffic backups in the area when the crash initially happened.
REACH Air Medical Services shared a statement on its social media following the crash:
“We are aware of an accident involving a REACH Air Medical helicopter on Highway 50 in Sacramento this evening and are keeping all those impacted in our thoughts and prayers.
We are in the process of determining the details of this situation, as well as the condition of the REACH crew involved, who were all taken to area hospitals. We will continue to provide information as it becomes available.
There was no patient on board.
We appreciate the concern and support from our community and will share updates when appropriate.”
Flight records show that the helicopter left Redding Regional Airport at 5:05 p.m., landed at Red Bluff Airport at 5:17 p.m. and left at 5:50 p.m. before landing at the UC Davis Medical Center at 6:36 p.m.
Flightradar24 data then shows the aircraft departed from the medical center at 7:05 p.m. before it disappeared from the radar once it flew above Highway 50. The entire flight lasted less than 30 seconds before the crash.
UC Davis is the only level 1 trauma center in the region, and it serves critical patients across 33 counties.
Both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are now investigating the crash.
This is a developing story. Stay with KCRA 3 for the latest.
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