Todd Valeri, president of SkyLife and American Ambulance said, “This incident is absolutely tragic and has really hit home to our approximately 600 employees at American Ambulance”.
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The SkyLife air ambulance was carrying four people from Porterville Municipal Airport to San Joaquin Community Hospital in Bakersfield when it crashed, Kern County fire officials told the Associated Press. “Tragically, four lives – our patient, a pilot, flight paramedic and nurse – were lost in a devastating crash”, San Joaquin Community Hospital said in a statement on its Facebook page.
A sheriff’s helicopter reported finding debris around 8:35 p.m. and rescue crews reached the site around 10 p.m., confirming the fatalities.
Kern County officials were then contacted about the helicopter and they were told to respond to the last known location using the helicopter’s GPS system, Lynch said.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor identified the aircraft as a Bell407, with tail number N408FC.
He says the perishable evidence is being collected before the helicopter is moved to a Sacramento warehouse for the long-term investigation.
The name of the female patient is not being released at this time, Valeri said. Marco Lopez, 42, was the critical care nurse and Kyle Juarez, 37, was the helicopter’s flight paramedic. This is the only fatal crash in SkyLife’s 24 year history. Lynch oversees emergency medical services in Fresno, Madera, Kings and Tulare counties.
SkyLife Air Ambulance operates three air ambulance helicopters out of the Fresno and Visalia airports. The air ambulance transports about 1,000 patients a year, he said.
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The study also noted that more than half of the accidents occurred when no patient was aboard and the flights could operate under less stringent rules.
