Officials are investigating after a medical helicopter crashed on a Sacramento freeway Monday evening.
The Sacramento Fire Department said a REACH medical helicopter went down shortly after 7 p.m. on eastbound Highway 50 near 59th Street.
Three crew members — a pilot, a nurse and a paramedic — were on board and all were taken to area hospitals with critical injuries, Captain Justin Sylvia with Sacramento Fire said. No vehicles on the freeway were involved.
Two crew members were located in the roadway while one of the crew members was trapped under the helicopter when the first unit from the fire department arrived, Sylvia said. A fire captain and bystanders who offered help were able to lift the aircraft off the trapped crew member.
Eastbound Highway 50 is under a full closure at 59th Street due to the crash, the California Highway Patrol said. Highway 99 northbound to Highway 50 eastbound, and Highway 51 southbound to Highway 50 eastbound are also shut down, with an unknown time for reopening.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said it is assisting the CHP.
A photo taken by a CBS Sacramento crew at the scene shows the helicopter upside down across multiple lanes covered in debris.
CBS Sacramento
CBS Sacramento has reached out to the Federal Aviation Administration but has not immediately heard back.
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