A driver, who nearly got caught in the accident, spoke out after watching a helicopter crash on a busy Sacramento highway. According to the Daily Mail, the accident left three people critically injured.
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Driver Nearly Hit By Helicopter That Crashed Onto Busy Sacramento Highway
This shocking crash happened on Highway 50, which runs from Sacramento to the Nevada state line, around 7 PM local time on October 6. Drivers watched as a medical helicopter swooped down, 15 bystanders rushing to the site to pull victims to safety.
According to the Sacramento Fire Department via KCRA, three crew members who were on board were in critical condition. Luckily, no patient was on board, but the injured consisted of the pilot, a nurse, and a paramedic.
One driver, a local resident, witnessed the incident on his way home from work. Davi Bychkoviak recalled that the red aircraft was flying close to the ground before the crash. He then began to film the ordeal from his car.
He was just mere feet away from the aircraft after it crashed onto the road. “Then just literally, a couple of seconds after, the crash happened, literally five feet next to me,” said Bychkoviak. “It was pretty scary.”
The driver recalled there being no explosion. Still, it was loud, and he noticed a lot of smoke billowing from the crash site. He caught the entire thing on video, but as it was happening, he was in shock.
“That’s the first time I’ve seen something like that,” said Bychkoviak. He “didn’t understand what happened at first,” but it started to set in once the smoke began to plume.
One Victim Identified
All three patients were transferred to UC Davis Medical Center for further treatment. So far, friends of the long-time flight nurse identified her as Suzie Smith from Redding.
One of Smith’s friends spoke highly of the nurse. She would reportedly travel yearly to Nicaragua to fix cleft palates.
“She’s just one of those exceptional people who’s out there using her, you know, her intelligence in that to help people,” said friend Mary Beaver. “But just that type of person who will go over there on her own expense and help those people.”
Smith’s pastor, Travis Osborne, confirmed that the nurse was still in critical condition on Tuesday evening. One of her many injuries was brain swelling.
“We are just praying for a miracle,” said Osborne. “We know God hears our prayers, and it’s dire. You know, she’s in a dire situation.”
The authorities are still investigating the incident and will hopefully find the cause of the crash. The good news is that the helicopter didn’t slam into any other vehicles. Still, Capt. Justin Sylvia, a fire department spokesperson, was glad that it wasn’t worse.
Sylvia revealed that if the helicopter had ignited, the situation could’ve been dire. It would’ve made cleanup and rescue even harder, as they would have to transport water onto the highway.