A group of bystanders rushed to the rescue after a medical helicopter crashed onto a California freeway Monday evening, trapping a crew member underneath.
A pilot, nurse and paramedic were hospitalized in critical condition after the incident took place to Downtown Sacramento’s east on Highway 50, according to The Associated Press (AP). The helicopter had recently left an area hospital after turning over a patient when an “in-air emergency” reportedly caused the crash shortly after 7 p.m. REACH Air Medical Services said the incident involved one of their helicopters in a statement Tuesday and issued an update Wednesday that the three crew members remained in the hospital.
Sacramento Fire Department (SFD) Capt. Peter Vandersluis said Tuesday that he directed an ad hoc team of roughly 15 drivers in lifting the helicopter off a paramedic stuck underneath. “Just out of instinct – the people were there willing to help, and they didn’t hesitate and followed my exact commands,” he said. “And we were able to lift it up with ease.”
Vandersluis oversaw the first fire engine crew on-scene and knew they couldn’t wait for reinforcements. “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,” he said.
In dash cam footage, the helicopter can be seen flying at low altitude before dropping rapidly, hitting the embankment and then sliding onto the freeway. Another video captures a group of bystanders stepping in to help push the helicopter up.
“It just plummeted out of the sky and it hit hard, obviously, because it was falling,” Aimee Braddock, a witness, told KCRA3. “And then just instantaneous black smoke, everywhere. It just engulfed the whole thing.”
A Selfless Act | A group of bystanders jumped to help after a medical helicopter crashed on Highway 50 in Sacramento. They lifted the helicopter off a trapped crew member. 🔗: https://t.co/5x0ljCX2b0 pic.twitter.com/fPWJfB34fT
— kcranews (@kcranews) October 7, 2025
“As soon as I saw that everybody was moving — trying to push the helicopter up to help the first responders get to the passenger, I just ran over and got in the line of people and was just help pushing it as much as I could,” she continued.
One firefighter tried removing the paramedic, discovering she was trapped thanks to a seatbelt, the AP reported. The firefighter then got beneath the aircraft and cut her loose. The ad hoc group lifted the helicopter in roughly 30 seconds and the paramedic was free in less than a minute.
Capt. Justin Sylvia, an SFD spokesperson, said they first received a “vehicle extrication assignment” and did not know the crash was connected to a helicopter, according to KCRA3. The team was not properly equipped to pull survivors out of an aircraft and officials noted that roughly 15 bystanders promptly stepped in.
No patient was on the aircraft, the SFD said. REACH Medical Services named the crew members and gave details on their medical conditions in their statement Wednesday.
“The individuals are: Pilot Chad Millward, who is in critical yet stable condition; Flight Paramedic Margaret ‘DeDe’ Davis, who is likewise critical but stable; and Flight Nurse Susan ‘Suzie’ Smith, who remains in critical and unstable condition,” the firm said.
“On behalf of our crew, their families and REACH, we extend heartfelt thanks to the bystanders who helped during their rescue,” they added, noting that they are cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration amid an active investigation.
