Two dead and four injured after rescue helicopter plummets from sky | US News
A frightening video captured the moment a fire rescue helicopter crashed into an apartment building in Florida, leaving two people dead and at least four injured.
The deadly crash took place around 8.45am on Monday morning in Pompano Beach, just 10 miles north of Fort Lauderdale.
Video shows the aircraft, a Eurocopter EC-135 operated by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office (BSO) Fire Rescue, spiraling downward before crashing into a triplex apartment building.
The aircraft was en route to another emergency scene in North Lauderdale, BSO Public Information Officer Veda Coleman-Wright said.
Additional video taken by bystanders appears to show the aircraft leaving behind a thick cloud of smoke as it flew through the sky before the crash.
Pompano Beach Fire Rescue transported two crew members and two civilians to the hospital from the crash site, Coleman-Wright said. The four victims that were hospitalized are in fair condition.
Video obtained by CBS News Miami appears to show members of the flight crew walking off from the crash site, which left a massive gaping hole in the Pompano Beach apartment building.
Later on Monday, Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony confirmed one of the deceased was Captain Terryson Jackson, a flight paramedic who worked for county’s Department of Fire Rescue and Emergency Services.
Jackson was a 19-year veteran of the force, the sheriff’s office said.
‘As a flight paramedic, he impacted the community daily, providing critical patients with the highest pre-hospital care,’ Sheriff Tony said in a memorial posted on Facebook. ‘He consistently showed an unmatched passion for the job. He always provided expert care, compassion and reassurance to those during their most significant time of need.’
The second person killed was a civilian who lived in the building, the sheriff confirmed.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) will investigate the cause of the crash, Coleman-Wright said.
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