Paramedics sometimes risk their lives to save those of others, especially in an aviation accident. Their skill and speed are usually the difference between life and death for many people in critical condition. Because of this, they employ various means of transport in moving patients quickly to hospitals to get treatment that is more effective. Sometimes this means using aircraft to move sick or critically injured patients.
Occasionally, though, emergency personnel find themselves in need of help. A recent aviation accident in Texas has brought this fact to the forefront, when an air evacuation helicopter crashed leaving one person dead.
The chopper was carrying three crew members and one patient at the time; the patient perished in the accident. The flight nurse, paramedic and pilot are recovering from their injuries in various hospitals.
The area fire chief praised paramedics for their quick response to the aviation accident. Rescue workers who arrived first comprised of a team waiting on the ground to unload the patient. They had already prepped when the incident occurred. According to the fire chief, their heroic efforts helped pull the crash victims out of the burning wreckage of the helicopter.
An investigation is underway to determine what caused the crash. Local authorities expected both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board at the scene by the morning after the incident.
Authorities anticipated the need to cordon off the area around the crash site for about two days, presumably to protect any evidence. The findings of the aviation accident investigation may help make air evacuation of patients safer in the future. They may also help reveal if negligence caused the tragedy.
Source: ABC7 News Denver, “Medical chopper crashes in Texas; 1 dead, 3 hurt,” Orlando Flores, Oct. 4, 2014
