By Matthew Steingraber
The Sedalia Democrat
LA MONTE, Mo. — Three members of a Staff for Life flight crew suffered serious injuries Sunday morning when a helicopter crash-landed in La Monte.
Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Nate Ahern said the Staff for Life helicopter, operated by Air Methods, had just taken off to respond to a call when it lost power to its engine, according to witness statements. The helicopter came down at the landing zone near Front Street and South Oak Street, crashing onto the helipad just feet away from a container holding jet fuel and several propane tanks.
The Highway Patrol did not release the identities of the three crew members injured in the crash.
Other helicopters arrived at the scene, landing in a field a couple blocks from where the first went down, to transport the victims to University Hospital in Columbia.
Doug Briscoe, owner of American Paramedical Services Inc., said the three injured in the wreck were the pilot, a flight nurse and a paramedic. No patient was on board at the time of the crash.
“They all had back injuries,” Briscoe said. “I wouldn’t say any of them are critical, but they did have serious injuries.”
Mariah Durham, assistant fire chief for the La Monte Fire Department, said she was on her way to Sedalia when she came upon the downed helicopter. She said all three of the people injured in the wreck were responsive when she arrived.
Durham commended the pilot for avoiding the nearby jet fuel container and propane tanks.
“It certainly could have been much worse. It could have been a disaster here,” Durham said.
Joan Drake, regional business manager for Air Methods, said all three crew members were listed in fair condition Sunday evening.
Drake said the helicopter involved in the accident was a single-engine aircraft, and the cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Republished with permission from The Democrat.com