"Just minutes after a medical helicopter crashed onto a California highway, Sacramento Fire Capt. Peter Vandersluis found himself directing an impromptu response team of about 15 drivers to lift the wreckage off a paramedic trapped underneath. When Vandersluis shouted "lift," they raised the aircraft. When he ordered "hold," they kept it elevated. "Just out of instinct - the people were there willing to help, and they didn't hesitate and followed my exact commands," Vandersluis told The Associated Press on Tuesday."
"The paramedic, as well as a nurse and pilot on board, were taken to hospitals in critical condition after Monday evening's crash on 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. The conditions of the three weren't immediately known Tuesday."
""Once I heard the woman groan, I made the decision to essentially yell out and get the bystanders to help lift the helicopter off of her," Vandersluis said. A firefighter tried to pull the paramedic out only to find she was trapped by her seat belt. The firefighter scooted underneath, cut the seat belt and rescued her. The ad hoc team raised the aircraft in about 30 seconds. By the time the firefighter extracted the paramedic, less than a minute had passed."
Just after a medical helicopter crashed on State Route 50 east of downtown Sacramento, Sacramento Fire Capt. Peter Vandersluis directed about 15 drivers to lift the wreckage off a paramedic trapped underneath. Bystanders raised and held the aircraft on command while a firefighter cut the paramedic's seat belt and pulled her free; the team lowered the helicopter after she was removed. A paramedic, a nurse and the pilot were taken to hospitals in critical condition following an in-air emergency shortly after the aircraft departed a hospital. Vandersluis relied on nearly 20 years of firefighting experience to rapidly organize the improvised rescue.
Read at ABC7 Los Angeles
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