A medical helicopter crashed onto a Sacramento freeway, prompting approximately 15 to 20 bystanders to lift the aircraft off trapped crew members in a dramatic rescue effort. Kenneth De Crescenzo and his wife Terry were among the Good Samaritans who responded immediately after witnessing the crash. De Crescenzo helped physically lift the helicopter while his wife assisted at the scene and recorded video of the rescue. The couple described being “in the right place at the right time” and credited first responders for arriving quickly. One victim, Suzie Smith, remains hospitalized with severe injuries as her family hopes for recovery. The bystanders emphasized they were ordinary people responding to an emergency, highlighting the power of strangers helping strangers during a crisis on the Sacramento freeway.
Three people were taken to hospitals in critical condition after a medical helicopter crashed onto a California freeway Monday night, officials said.
The crash happened on eastbound U.S. Highway 50 near 59th Street in Sacramento, Officer Michael Harper, a California Highway Patrol spokesman, said at a news conference.
A pilot, nurse and paramedic were injured, Sacramento Fire Capt. Justin Sylvia told reporters. They were two females and a male, he said.
One victim was trapped under the helicopter and had to be rescued with the help of passing motorists and passengers who lifted part of the wreckage so they could be rescued and placed in a waiting ambulance, Sylva said.
In a statement Tuesday, the family of Suzie Smith confirmed she was the nurse aboard the aircraft. They said she remained in critical condition and was being treated for “multiple serious injuries.”
Her family described Smith as “a tough and strong woman.”
“Additionally, she has an amazing faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” they said in the statement. “If anyone can overcome these challenges, it’s Sue.”
Sylva said that it was fortunate that there weren’t more victims and that the helicopter did not catch fire.
“We’re extremely lucky that there were only three victims. It’s unfortunate they’re in critical condition, but all of our ambulances were off scene with transportation and care being performed on these victims within 20 minutes of the incident,” he told reporters at the scene.
Reach Air Medical Services confirmed in a statement posted to Instagram that one of its helicopters crashed on Highway 50. The company said it was “keeping all those impacted in our thoughts and prayers.”
A spokesperson for Reach’s parent company, Global Medical Response, said in a statement Tuesday that the helicopter was equipped with a crash-resistant fuel system.
No vehicles were involved in the wreck, which occurred at around 7:08 p.m., Sylvia said.
Aerial video from NBC affiliate KCRA of Sacramento showed the red helicopter on its side with a smashed cockpit and debris over the road surface. It had a white circle with a red medical cross on the fuselage.
sacramento helicopter crash
Among the crowd on an overpass staring at the scene was local resident Brett Berkstresser.
He told KCRA that he was in his backyard Monday evening when he heard sirens coming from what seemed to be every direction.
“The sirens was crazy, just the amount of the emergency services,” he told the station.
When firefighters arrived, one of the victims was trapped underneath the aircraft, Sylvia said.
Only one fire engine had been able to reach the crash at that point, Sylvia said, and the fire captain at the scene asked civilian bystanders to help lift part of the helicopter to free the victim.
The freeway is expected to be closed for an extended period of time, said Harper, the highway patrol spokesman.
Sylvia said that while the three people who were injured were transported in critical condition, it was fortunate that the fuel aboard the helicopter did not catch fire.
“It being jet fuel that’s loaded onto these aircrafts, it would have been a very hot and intense fire,” he said
