Three people, two women and a man, are in critical condition after a medical helicopter crashed onto a busy highway in Sacramento Monday evening, according to video and multiple media accounts.
The harrowing ordeal occurred at around 7 p.m. in eastbound lanes of Highway 50 in East Sacramento near 59th Street exit, KTLA’s sister station FOX40 reported.
Video footage of the incident captured by a motorist and obtained by KTLA shows the aircraft, registered to REACH Air Medical Services, careening toward the highway and slamming into the roadway, sending smoke and debris across all lanes of traffic.
A pilot, nurse and paramedic were aboard the helicopter when it went down. All three were rushed to the hospital in critical condition by medical personnel with the Sacramento Fire Department.
Fire officials said that a group of people who witnessed the crash worked to lift the helicopter which was one on top of one of the victims.
It is unclear if any motorists were injured in the crash.
According to the flight tracking website Flightradar24, the aircraft had departed from University of California Davis Medical Center and was traveling north moments when the crash happened.
Officers with the California Highway Patrol’s South Sacramento station responded to the scene and asked the public to avoid the area as it was unknown how long the extended closure of the highway will remain in effect.
Images captured by Caltrans cameras in the area showed eastbound traffic on Highway 50 backed up for miles.
The exact cause of the crash is under investigation.
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