California highway accident: Medical helicopter goes down

Three people, including two women and a man, are in critical condition following a medical helicopter crash on a busy Sacramento highway Monday evening. The incident took place around 7 p.m. in the eastbound lanes of Highway 50 near the 59th Street exit in East Sacramento. Video footage captured by a motorist and shared with KTLA shows the REACH Air Medical Services helicopter descending onto the highway, causing chaos with smoke and debris. The pilot, nurse, and paramedic on board were quickly transported to the hospital in critical condition by the Sacramento Fire Department. Emergency responders commend the quick actions of bystanders who assisted in lifting the helicopter to free one of the victims trapped underneath. It is uncertain if any motorists were harmed during the crash. The helicopter had departed from the University of California Davis Medical Center and was heading north before the accident occurred. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, and the California Highway Patrol has advised the public to avoid the area due to the extended closure of the highway. Traffic in the eastbound direction on Highway 50 was heavily congested, as shown by surveillance camera images from Caltrans in the region.