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 โlift,โ they raised the aircraft. When he ordered โhold,โ they kept it elevated.
โJust out of instinct โ the people were there willing to help, and they didnโt hesitate and followed my exact commands,โ Vandersluis told The Associated Press on Tuesday. โAnd we were able to lift it up with ease.โ The paramedic, as well as a nurse and pilot on board, were taken to hospitals in critical condition after Monday eveningโs crash on State Route 50 east of downtown Sacramento.
The aircraft had departed a hospital after dropping off a patient when it experienced an โin-air emergencyโ and went down just after 7 p.m. The conditions of the three werenโt immediately known Tuesday. Vandersluis was supervising the first fire engine crew to reach the crash, and he knew it would take too long for additional rescue teams to arrive. โOnce 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,โ Vandersluis said.
