A group of strangers band together to lift a crashed medical helicopter and save the nurse trapped underneath.
Nowadays, the news is flooded with stories of hate and violence. It breaks our hearts and makes us wonder if compassion still exists. But stories like this remind us that there is still goodness in the world.
When a helicopter crashed on a busy highway, a group of good Samaritans jumped into action to save the trapped crew.
Medical Helicopter Crashes on Busy Highway
The REACH medical helicopter crashed on Highway 50 in East Sacramento on Monday, October 6. On board were a pilot, a paramedic, and flight nurse Suzie Smith from Redding.
The crew had just dropped off a patient at UC Davis Medical Center when the helicopter started falling from the sky. It crashed right onto the busy highway. No other cars were hit. No drivers or passengers on the road were hurt.
Drivers Run Toward the Wreckage
Kenneth De Crescenzo and his neighbor Elvin were driving just seconds ahead of where the helicopter came down. Kenneth saw it falling. “When it was coming down, I looked at it and said, ‘This isn’t good,'” he said. He and Elvin did not think twice. They ran straight to the wreckage.
A Nurse Trapped and Calling for Help
Suzie Smith was pinned under the helicopter. She was screaming for help. Priscilla Cochran-Navarra got to her first. She lay down on the ground next to the trapped nurse.
“I just tell her, ‘You’re alive. You’re alive. Just stay still.’ I said, ‘You’re not alone. I’m not going to leave you. You’re not alone,'” Priscilla said, crying as she remembered that moment.
Bystanders Lift the Helicopter Together
The Sacramento Fire Department arrived quickly. They called for help to lift the helicopter off Smith. More than a dozen people came together. They grabbed onto the aircraft and lifted.
Priscilla felt how heavy it was at first. “A few of us tried to lift the helicopter at first and, initially, when I felt how heavy, like there was no movement, it wouldn’t budge at all. But when fifteen people or so came to do it, it just seemed like the impossible became possible,” she said.
Kenneth and the others found spots on the helicopter to grab. “We just ran up to it and found a spot to grab onto the helicopter and just pushed and lifted it best we could, we had to lift it up,” Kenneth said. They lifted together until the paramedics could free Smith.
Terry De Crescenzo, Kenneth’s wife, recorded the rescue on her phone while helping at the scene. She could not believe what she saw. “My first thought was, how amazing. And I mean this sincerely, that nobody questioned. Everybody was just like, these are human beings that need us, and everybody just ran to help them,” Terry said.
The couple saw something beautiful that night. “One human being helping another or a group of human beings helping one another, it is nice to know that it is still like that,” Terry said.
Kenneth added, “When people were needed, they all stepped up. Everybody that was nearby and heard that man’s voice knew that they just moved forward and started to go to work.”
Priscilla felt the same way. She said she was proud of her city. “It was good to see Sacramento united,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt that since 9/11, you know? At that time, everyone came together. It didn’t matter what you did, who you are, who you love, who you prayed to. None of that made a difference.”
Praying for Recovery
As of October 8, the pilot and paramedic are in critical but stable condition. The nurse remains in critical and unstable condition.
Smith’s family says she has severe injuries, mostly trauma to her brain. They are praying for a miracle.
Please keep Suzie Smith and the other crew members in your prayers for complete healing.
WATCH: Good Samaritans Rush to Save Crew After Helicopter Crashes on Busy Highway
