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Half of Md. medevac patients not seriously injured

By Earl Kelly
HometownAnnapolis.com

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — When an Anne Arundel landscaper was caught in a stump grinder and a young woman was thrown headfirst through her car windshield, their lives were saved by Maryland State Police medevac helicopters and the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center.

The system — considered by many the best medevac and trauma treatment system in the nation — was designed precisely for their types of massive, life-threatening injuries.

But in recent years, about half the patients transported by state police helicopters to a trauma center are not seriously injured; they are treated for nonlife-threatening injuries and released within 24 hours.

Full story: Half of medevac patients are not seriously injured