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Calif. air ambulance’s collision with bird slows rescue

A CALSTAR air ambulance landed on the field and the patient was placed inside, but just after takeoff the helicopter collided with a bird

By EMS1 Staff

WOODLAND, Calif. — An air ambulance taking an injured woman to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento was momentarily interrupted after it hit a bird in flight.

Police and officials at nearby Woodland High School evacuated the school stadium so the football field could be used as a landing zone.

A CALSTAR air ambulance landed on the field and the patient was placed inside, but just after takeoff the helicopter collided with a bird. The pilot landed the copter as a safety precaution, according to the Sacramento Bee.

The 53-year-old patient was then moved to a ground ambulance and transported to a nearby REACH helicopter, which took her to the hospital.

Police officials said the victim’s condition is serious, but she was conscious and able to speak at the scene of the collision.