A medical chopper responding Tuesday to the scene of a fatal car accident in southern Ohio crashed while attempting to land, authorities said.
First responders learned just after 4 a.m. Tuesday that two vehicles collided in Milford Township, the Butler County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
A passenger in the rear of a Silverado, a 69-year-old woman, was declared dead and at least three others injured were pulled from the vehicle, according to the sheriff’s department. The driver of the other vehicle was its only occupant and was not injured, police say.
When a CareFlight helicopter arrived to pick up a 43-year-old woman who was seriously injured, it “crashed while attempting to land at the scene,” authorities said.
The three passengers in the helicopter were transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the sheriff’s office said. The county is working with the Federal Aviation Administration to investigate the helicopter crash.
A CareFlight representative told CNN affiliate WXIX in a statement that the helicopter “contacted wires” and described the incident as “a hard landing.”
“Two of the three crew members onboard the CareFlight helicopter have been treated for their injuries and released. A third is being evaluated. Air Methods has contacted the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration and will be working through the investigation process with these agencies,” the statement said. “The safety of patients and crew is of the utmost importance to us. We are grateful that no one was seriously injured in this incident.”
