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Medic, sole survivor, recalls fatal air ambulance crash

He reflected on the crash that killed three of his colleagues during a 10th anniversary commemoration

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. — A paramedic who was the sole survivor of an air ambulance crash remembered his three deceased colleagues during the 10 year anniversary memorial of the incident.

A decade later, Tim Baldwin still works as a paramedic for an air ambulance service, and said he loves being in emergency medicine.

“It’s in my blood,” he told Steamboat Today.

He joined other members of the community for a ceremony to remember Yampa Valley Air Ambulance director Dave Linner, flight nurse Jennifer Wells, and pilot Tim Beway. They were on their way to pick up a patient injured in a car crash when their plane crashed during a snow storm.

Baldiwn was the only survivor.

“I still love the work,” he said.

Bob Maddox, owner of the flight service that operated the air ambulance, said he’s still struck by how raw the tragedy feels. He gave a speech praising the dedication and compassion of those killed, saying their legacy of helping people lives on.

Paula Golden, the hospital’s director of emergency and trauma services, read a poem to remember them, as two helicopters flew overhead to commemorate the victims.

“I miss them,” Baldwin said.