LODD: Tennessee Children's Hospital EMS Helicopter Down With Fire On Impact, 3 Crew Presumed Dead.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

LODD: Tennessee Children's Hospital EMS Helicopter Down With Fire On Impact, 3 Crew Presumed Dead.

Medical helicopter crashed in Fayette County (TN) this morning, three people on board are presumed to be dead.

Emergency crews were having trouble accessing the crash site because of muddy conditions.
Credit: http://www.wmctv.com

Update 1030hrs: NTSB investigators are on their way to the crash site from Atlanta. They should arrive this afternoon.

Action News 5 - Memphis, Tennessee

Who: Three crew members were on board, a hospital wing pilot and two employees from Le Bonheur Children's Hospital a nurse and respiratory therapist killed in the helicopter crash.

Why: EMS helicopter was on its way to Bolivar, Tennessee to pick up a young male patient in renal failure when it went down. The boy who was supposed to be flown to Memphis was taken to Le Bonheur Children's Hospital by ambulance after the helicopter crashed.

Where: In Fayette County (TN) along Highway 64 near Somerville.

Witnesses say helicopter disintegrated and burned. No remains located yet, three souls on board presumed dead.
Firefighters were having trouble accessing the crash site because of muddy conditions.

According to Jay Pershad, M.D., Le Bonheur Children's Hospital does 400 flights each year transporting sick and critically injured children for medical care. He says the people killed in the crash Tuesday are heroes who put their lives on the line each day.

"This is an incredibly talented group of professionals who rescues critically ill and injured children for a 130 mile radius and brings them to Le Bonheur," Pershad said. "We do this every day, but this is an incredibly sad day for us."

He continued, "Our thoughts and prayers are with their families and I ask you all to respect their privacy and pray for them and pray for their families. I know they are in a better place, and have taken care of so many kids in their short lives that I can't tell you how incredibly difficult it is for the entire team."

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CFN - California Fire News 2013

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Tuesday, October 22, 2013