The Chicago Tribune has an article about a REACT Helicopter crashing last night which killed the crew of three:
A witness says the medical helicopter that crashed in a field near Rochelle, killing the pilot and two nurses, flew close to his house before diving into the ground.
The helicopter was registered to Rockford Memorial Hospital and was enroute to pick up a patient at Mendota Community Hospital, officials said. The Rockford hospital identified the pilot as Andy Olesen and the two flight nurses as Jim Dillow and Karen Hollis.
Lee County Sheriff John Varga said it did not appear that the helicopter hit any power lines or other structures. “The phone calls and witnesses we got last night said something didn’t sound right, it was flying low,” he said.
The nurses and pilots who work in air ambulances are among the best trained in their fields, said Stephen Richey, a former flight respiratory therapist who lives in Indianapolis.
Pilots must be able to land on improvised landing sites on short notice, and the flight nurses on board often must deliver advance medical care to critically injured trauma patients.
The work draws those with years of experience and a deep commitment to helping patients, Richey said.
“You’ll never find a more dedicated group of professionals in your entire life,” Richey said.
The entire article can be found HERE.
Additional articles are HERE, HERE, and HERE.
From the Rockford Register Star:
COMPTON — The pilot killed in a Rockford Memorial Hospital REACT helicopter crash Monday was a week from retirement and one of the nurses killed was a mother of two children.
All three personnel on board — pilot Andy Olesen and flight nurses Jim Dillow and Karen Hollis — were killed when a Rockford helicopter crashed en route to Mendota Community Hospital to pick up a patient about 8:30 p.m. in a field near Compton in Lee County south of U.S. 30 and west of Illinois 251.
No patients are believed to have been on board the craft when it crashed.
Andy Olesen, 65, was planning to retire next week, said Ralph Kuespert, pastor of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Rockford, where Olesen and his wife, Pat, have been members for years.
Hollis and her husband, Scott, are parents of two children — Samantha, 12, who attends Spectrum, and Sydney, 14, who attended Spectrum for nine years but now attends Boylan Catholic High School.
Karen Hollis had a vibrant personality that spilled over into the simplest tasks, said Christine Klekamp, executive director of Spectrum Progressive School, Rockford.
thanks Chris and Dan
All rights reserved by kschmidt626
