By Hallie Golden
(AP) – A medical helicopter crashed on a highway in California’s capital, critically injuring three people aboard, including a woman who was pinned underneath and was rescued with the help of motorists who lifted part of the aircraft, officials said.
The helicopter landed upside down Monday evening and left debris scattered across State Route 50 east of downtown Sacramento. The aircraft had departed a hospital after dropping off a patient when it experienced an “in-air emergency” and went down just after 7 p.m., said Captain Justin Sylvia with the Sacramento Fire Department.
A pilot, nurse and paramedic were taken to hospitals in critical condition, he said. No one on the highway was injured, he said, calling that “mind blowing” given that the helicopter crashed in the center of the eastbound lanes.
“People reported that they basically saw the helicopter kind of going down quickly. So all the traffic slowed down,” Sylvia said.
An injured woman was trapped underneath the helicopter and a crew from the fire department was able to work with motorists to push the aircraft off and get her into an ambulance.
“It took every ounce of all approximately 15 people to move that aircraft up just enough to get her out,” he said.
Aimee Braddock was among those who helped. She told KCRA-TV that she rushed to the crash site after seeing the helicopter plummet to the pavement.
“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.”
The helicopter did not catch on fire, Sylvia said.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration said they were investigating the crash of the Airbus EC-130 T2.
Eastbound lanes of the highway were closed throughout the night and reopened Tuesday morning.
The aircraft was a REACH Air Medical helicopter, according to the company, which said in a statement that they “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,” the company’s statement said.
Sacramento City Councilwoman Lisa Kaplan was on a ride along with law enforcement responding to the crash and said there were plumes of white smoke coming out of the downed helicopter.
“It’s really sombering and sobering. I am up flying with sheriff pilots that do this day in and day out. And it really makes you grateful for every day and grateful for our officers and our medical pilots,” she said.
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Associated Press writers Christopher Weber in Los Angeles and Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.