Tag: sacramento highway

UPDATES. ANY VEHICLES IMPACTED? I DO NOT HAVE THAT INFORMATION AT THIS TIME. DO WE KNOW IF THIS WAS A CRASH OR WERE THEY TRYING TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING? DO WE HAVE ANY IDEA? I DON’T HAVE THAT INFORMATION EITHER. SORRY. AS FAR AS TRANSPORTS, JUSTIN, YOU MENTIONED, CAN YOU SPEAK TO ANYTHING ABOUT VICTIMS AND THINGS LIKE THAT? YEAH. SO, JUSTIN, SYLVIA, JUSTIN. SYLVIA. CAPTAIN, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, SACRAMENTO FIRE. OUR UNITS WERE DISPATCHED AT 708 FOR A VEHICLE EXTRICATION ASSIGNMENT. THAT’S ONE ENGINE, ONE TRUCK, AND A BATTALION CHIEF, AS WELL AS AN AMBULANCE. FURTHER UPDATES CAME IN FROM MULTIPLE CALLERS REPORTING A HELICOPTER HAD CRASHED IN THE MIDDLE OF HIGHWAY 50. AT THAT POINT, WE WERE GETTING INITIAL REPORTS THAT THERE WERE VEHICLES INVOLVED. HOWEVER, AFTER WALKING THE SCENE, THERE ARE NO ADDITIONAL VEHICLES INVOLVED. THE ONLY THREE VICTIMS ON SCENE WERE ABOARD THE AIRCRAFT. THAT’S GOING TO BE A PILOT, A NURSE AND A PARAMEDIC. TWO FEMALES AND A MALE. THEY WERE TRANSPORTED TO LOCAL HOSPITALS. WE COULD NOT OVERWHELM UC DAVIS WITH THREE CRITICAL PATIENTS ALL AT ONCE. THEREFORE, WE CONTACTED UC DAVIS AND ASKED THEM FOR DESTINATIONS FOR THESE PATIENTS VICTIMS. I SHOULD SAY. THEY WERE TRANSPORTED IN CRITICAL CONDITION. SO THAT’S KIND OF WHERE WE’RE AT FOR THE FIRE SIDE OF THINGS. I WOULD LIKE TO ADD THAT THERE WAS ONE VICTIM THAT WAS TRAPPED UNDERNEATH THE HELICOPTER. WE ONLY HAD ONE ENGINE ON SCENE AT THAT POINT. OTHERS WERE TRYING TO MAKE ACCESS TO THE SCENE. THAT ONE PERSON THAT WAS TRAPPED, THE CAPTAIN, IMMEDIATELY SEQUESTERED THE HELP OF JUST CIVILIANS THAT WERE STANDING AROUND. THEY WERE ABLE TO LIFT PART OF THAT HELICOPTER OUT AND GET THAT VICTIM OUT, SO WE COULD GET THEM LOADED INTO THE BACK OF AN AMBULANCE AND TRANSPORTED OFF SCENE. WE HAVEN’T BEEN DOWN THERE. CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT YOU SAW? THE SCENE. ANYTHING LIKE THAT. SO THE SCENE BASICALLY LOOKS LIKE A HELICOPTER UPSIDE DOWN THAT HAS CRASHED IN THE FREEWAY. THERE’S A PRETTY LARGE DEBRIS FIELD AROUND THAT AT THIS POINT. THE LUCKY PORTION FOR US, I’D SAY, IS THE FACT THAT THE HELICOPTER DID NOT CATCH ON FIRE, BECAUSE THEN WE WOULD HAVE AN ADDITIONAL PROBLEM TO THAT. WHEN WE OPERATE ON THESE FREEWAYS WITH ANY TYPE OF FIRE RISK. WE DON’T HAVE FIRE HYDRANTS. SO ALL THAT WATER WOULD HAVE TO BE BROUGHT IN. AND IT BEING JET FUEL THAT’S LOADED INTO THESE AIRCRAFTS WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY HOT AND VERY INTENSE FIRE. SO FORTUNATELY WE DID NOT SEE ANY, ANY PART OF THAT. WE’RE EXTREMELY LUCKY THAT THERE WERE ONLY THREE VICTIMS. IT’S UNFORTUNATE THEY’RE IN CRITICAL CONDITION, BUT THEY ALL OF OUR AMBULANCES WERE OFF SCENE WITH TRANSPORTATION AND CARE BEING PERFORMED ON THESE VICTIMS WITHIN 20 MINUTES OF THE INCIDENT, YOU DESCRIBED THAT THEY WERE IN CRITICAL CONDITION. CAN YOU GIVE US ANY IDEA? I MEAN, WERE THEY WERE THEY ALERT WHEN YOU GUYS FOUND THEM? I MEAN, I KNOW YOU MENTIONED SOMEBODY BEING PINNED UNDER THE HELICOPTER. WHAT WAS AS MUCH AS YOU CAN SAY ABOUT THEIR PHYSICAL CONDITION WHEN YOU GUYS ENCOUNTERED THEM? THE ONLY THING I CAN SAY IS THAT THEY ARE IN CRITICAL CONDITION AT THIS POINT. IT’S UNKNOWN ON THE EXTENT OF THE INJURIES. WE WILL HAVE TO FOLLOW UP WITH THE LOCAL HOSPITALS TO SEE WHAT KIND OF CONDITION THEY’RE CURRENTLY IN. YOU MENTIONED NO CARS INVOLVED WHEN THE HELICOPTER CRASHED, BUT WERE THERE ANY SUBSEQUENT, YOU KNOW, CARS SLAMMING ON THEIR BRAKES AND CRASHING INTO EACH OTHER BECAUSE OF WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED IN FRONT OF THEM? DO YOU KNOW? THAT’S SOMETHING THAT’S UNKNOWN TO US? THE ONLY THING THAT WE CAN SAY IS WHEN WE GET SOMETHING OF THIS MAGNITUDE, WE REALLY NEED TO FOCUS IN ON A VICTIM COUNT. BECAUSE IF WE’RE STARTING TO ASK FOR 20 OR 30 AMBULANCES, THOSE AMBULANCES ARE GOING TO BE COMING FROM QUITE A DISTANCE. SO WE REALLY NEED TO FOCUS IN ON GETTING HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY INVOLVED IN THIS VEHICLE ACCIDENT OR THIS EXCUSE ME, HELICOPTER ACCIDENT THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED VEHICLES. LUCKILY, THERE WERE JUST THREE CRITICAL THAT WERE TRANSPORTED WITHIN 20 MINUTES. CAN YOU DESCRIBE MORE OF THE CHALLENGES YOU GUYS FACE TRYING TO GET ONTO THE FREEWAY? OBVIOUSLY, YOU GUYS ARE COMING FROM THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. TRAFFIC. TRAFFIC IS THE BIGGEST THING FOR US. EVERYONE’S JUST BOUND UP. THERE’S NOWHERE FOR THEM TO GO, ESPECIALLY IN A CONSTRUCTION ZONE. MAKES IT RATHER DIFFICULT FOR OUR LARGE APPARATUS TO NAVIGATE AROUND. BUT THAT’S WHERE WE GOT TO COME UP WITH THESE PLANS RIGHT AWAY. SO WE ENDED UP USING THE ONCOMING LANES, GETTING ON 59TH STREET TO ACCESS THAT ACCIDENT, BECAUSE ALL TRAFFIC FROM THERE HAD CEASED. AND CHP WAS A HUGE HELP TO US TO STOP ALL THAT TRAFFIC. SO OUR FIRST RESPONDERS COULD REALLY GET IN THERE AND START PERFORMING WHAT THEY NEEDED TO DO. WOULD YOU SAY US SAYING THAT THE HELICOPTER CRASHED ONTO THE FREEWAY IS THE BEST WAY TO DESCRIBE IT? DO WE KNOW IF THEY WERE TRYING TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING? WHAT’S KNOWN ABOUT THAT? THAT’S ALL UNKNOWN. IF YOU LOOK AT IT FROM JUST A BYSTANDER POINT OF VIEW, IT LOOKS LIKE IT CRASHED BECAUSE IT’S UPSIDE DOWN. BUT TO SAY FROM A PROFESSIONAL VIEW THAT IS NOT IN OUR LANE, THAT’S SOMETHING THAT AVIATION EXPERTS NEED TO NAVIGATE THROUGH. SO FEDERAL OFFICIALS ARE OBVIOUSLY WILL BE INVOLVED IN THIS INVESTIGATION. WHAT’S THE NEXT STEP WHEN IT COMES TO EITHER CLEANING THIS UP OR INVESTIGATING? ARE YOU ABLE TO SPEAK TO WHAT THE NEXT STEPS NOW WILL LOOK LIKE? I CAN’T SPEAK TO THAT. I CAN JUST SPEAK TO THE FIRE SIDE OF THE RESPONSE AND THE MEDICAL TRANSPORTATION SIDE. THANK YOU GUYS. YEAH. CAN WE FOLLOW YOU GUYS DOWN THERE OR. YEAH. JUST GO AHEAD AND TURN AROUND BEHIND US. OKAY. YOU’VE BEEN LISTENING TO A NEWS CONFERENCE RIGHT NOW. THAT WAS JUSTIN SILVA FROM THE SACRAMENTO FIRE DEPARTMENT EXPLAINING WHAT HAPPENED THIS EVENING INVOLVING THIS HELICOPTER THAT CRASHED SHORTLY AFTER TAKING OFF FROM THE UC DAVIS MEDICAL CENTER. HE SAYS THE CALL INITIALLY CAME IN ABOUT 708 TONIGHT, AND THEY INITIALLY THOUGHT THEY HAD A VEHICLE WITH PEOPLE THEY NEEDED TO EXTRICATE. BUT WHEN THEY GOT ON SCENE, THE HELICOPTER, THEY THEY REALIZED IT WAS A CHOPPER. IT WAS NOT A VEHICLE. AND THERE WAS SOME HEROIC ACTIONS TONIGHT BECAUSE WE UNDERSTAND ONE OF THE THREE PEOPLE ABOARD THAT CHOPPER WAS PINNED UNDER THE CHOPPER, AND THE SAC FIRE CAPTAIN GOT BYSTANDERS FROM THE AREA TO LIFT THAT HELICOPTER OFF OF THAT VICTIM. AND THERE WERE TWO WOMEN, A MAN WHO WERE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL IN CRITICAL CONDITION. WE BELIEVE THAT IS A PILOT, A NURSE AND A PARAMEDIC. AND SO THREE PEOPLE HAVE GONE TO THE HOSPITAL IN CRITICAL CONDITION. ALL RIGHT. WE WANT TO SHOW YOU A TRAFFIC MAP BECAUSE THIS IS STILL HAVING SUCH A MAJOR IMPACT ON TRAFFIC RIGHT NOW. YOU CAN SEE WESTBOUND TRAFFIC IS IS MOVING ALONG JUST FINE, BUT CARS ARE STILL STOPPED ON THE ON THE EASTBOUND LANES. AND ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE HAD IS HOW LONG THEY’RE GOING TO NEED TO KEEP THE WRECKAGE OUT THERE, BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES THE AVIATION INVESTIGATORS NEED TO LOOK AT EXACTLY THE CRASH SITE AS IT HAPPENED TO KEEP ALL OF THAT EVIDENCE PRESERVED AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. WHEN YOU’RE TRYING TO NAVIGATE THAT, ALONG WITH THE IMPACT ON TRAFFIC, YOU KNOW, IT COULD BE REALLY DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO FIGURE OUT WHAT’S GOING TO TAKE PRIORITY. AND SO WE KNOW WE’VE HAD VEHICLES THAT HAVE BEEN JUST STUCK THERE ON HIGHWAY 50 FOR HOURS NOW AS THIS WE SAW THE CARS POINTED IN EVERY DIRECTION AS DRIVERS WERE TRYING TO GET OFF THE FREEWAY. SOME OF THEM TURNING AROUND IN THE LITTLE BIT OF SPACE THEY HAD DRIVING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, JUST TRYING TO REACH AN AVAILABLE EXIT. WE KNOW EVEN FROM PEOPLE WHO CALLED OUR NEWSROOMS OR FRIENDS WHO HAVE BEEN TEXTING US, IT TOOK SOME OF THEM HOURS TO BE ABLE TO FIND THEIR WAY THROUGH ALL OF THIS TRAFFIC. AND LET’S SHOW YOU SOME VIDEO. WE HAVE HERE. PAULA CLEMENT SENT THIS TO US WHERE YOU COULD SEE THE TRAFFIC RIGHT THERE, AND YOU COULD SEE SMOKE THAT APPEARS TO BE COMING FROM THE SCENE. BUT YOU AND I WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS WITH OUR EXCLUSIVE PICTURES FROM LIVECOPTER3. IT DOES NOT APPEAR THAT THIS HELICOPTER CAUGHT FIRE AT ALL. AND WHAT I’VE BEEN ABLE TO DIG UP ABOUT THESE PARTICULAR CHOPPERS. IT’S AN H 130, BUT THEY HAVE. A CRASH RESISTANT FUEL SYSTEMS ON THEM, AND THEY ARE DESIGNED TO PREVENT POST-CRASH FIRES BY CONTAINING ANY FUEL. AND IT WAS SOMETHING THAT THE NTSB ACTUALLY RECOMMENDED IN 2016, BECAUSE A YEAR EARLIER THERE WERE TWO CRASHES WHERE THEY SAY THE VICTIMS SURVIVED THE CRASH, BUT THEY ENDED UP BURNING. SO THE NTSB MADE A RECOMMENDATION IN 2016 FOR THESE CHOPPERS TO GET THESE PARTICULAR SYSTEMS ON BOARD. AND WHAT YOU’RE SEEING RIGHT HERE, WE DON’T KNOW IF THAT SMOKE OR IF THAT IS THIS FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEM THAT KEPT THIS HELICOPTER FROM CATCHING FIRE. WE CERTAINLY SAW IN SOME OF THE VIDEOS THAT HAVE BEEN POSTED FROM THE SCENE WHAT LOOKS LIKE THAT SUPPRESSION SYSTEM IS COMING UP IN WHITE VERSUS WHAT WOULD NORMALLY BE SEEN FROM A FIRE, WHICH WOULD BE BLACK SMOKE. AND WE HEARD FROM JUSTIN SYLVIA HOW GRATEFUL THEY WERE THAT THEY WEREN’T DEALING WITH A FIRE, BECAUSE IT IS, AS HE WAS SAYING, REALLY DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO GET WATER INTO A SITUATION LIKE THIS. AND WITH THE KIND OF FUEL THAT’S ON BOARD, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO DEAL WITH. IN ADDITION TO THE IMPACT ON THOSE VICTIMS. SO THIS IS A LOOK RIGHT NOW FROM LIVECOPTER3. AND YOU CAN SEE AGAIN, THE VERY SLOW, TEDIOUS OPERATION OF GETTING ALL OF THESE CARS REMOVED FROM THE EASTBOUND LANES OF HIGHWAY 50. AGAIN, NOT ABLE TO OPEN UP OFTEN, YOU KNOW, IN AN ACCIDENT SITE YOU CAN OPEN UP ONE LANE, MAYBE TWO, AS THEY MOVE THE DEBRIS OVER. IN THIS CASE, THEY CAN’T DO THAT. AND SO THEY’RE JUST CARS ARE JUST CRAWLING OFF. OKAY. SO WE HAVE OUR REPORTERS AT THE SCENE AND LET’S GET TO KCRA 3’S CATALINA ESTRADA WITH WHAT SHE’S SEEING. YEAH. CURTIS, WE JUST MADE IT HERE ON SCENE. I REALLY JUST WANT TO GIVE YOU A LIVE LOOK AT WHAT’S HAPPENING. WE’RE RIGHT NEXT TO HIGHWAY 50, AND YOU CAN SEE HERE THE DEBRIS ON THE FREEWAY. YOU CAN SEE THAT HELICOPTER THAT CRASH IN BETWEEN THE TAIL AND THE FRONT PART OF IT. AND THERE’S A LOT OF DEBRIS JUST AROUND THIS AREA. AND YOU CAN ALSO SEE CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL’S HERE WORKING TO CLEAR THE AREA. THEY’RE ACTUALLY STARTING TO LET PEOPLE THROUGH. YOU CAN SEE SOME CARS DRIVING ALONGSIDE THAT BORDER SIDE OF THE FREEWAY. RIGHT NOW. THEY’RE STARTING TO LET THESE PEOPLE GO BECAUSE THEY’VE BEEN STUCK HERE FOR HOURS. YOU CAN SEE RIGHT BEHIND US HERE. THESE VEHICLES ARE AT A COMPLETE STOP. THEY HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO MOVE AS CREWS RESPONDED TO THIS CRASH. THAT HAPPENED A COUPLE HOURS AGO. YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THOSE VEHICLES RIGHT NOW STARTING TO DRIVE ALONG THE FREEWAY HERE ON HIGHWAY 50. I CAN COUNT ON THIS SIDE AT LEAST THREE CHP VEHICLES. THERE’S ALSO CHP MOTORCYCLE OFFICERS ON HERE. AND ON THE OTHER SIDE YOU CAN SEE THE BIG LIGHTS OF ALSO MORE LAW ENFORCEMENT OVER ON THE OTHER SIDE. SO IT’S A REALLY BIG AND ACTIVE SCENE HERE. REALLY IMPRESSIVE. JUST TO SEE THE DAMAGE OF THIS HELICOPTER CRASH ALONG THE SIDE HERE WHERE WE’RE AT, THERE’S A COUPLE PEOPLE THAT YOU KNOW ARE ALSO WHO LIVE RIGHT HERE NEARBY AND ARE SEEING ALL OF THIS UNFOLD. IT’S IMPORTANT TO MENTION WE ARE IN A SAFE AREA. WE’RE NOT IN DANGER HERE WHERE WE’RE STANDING, BUT YOU CAN COMPLETELY SEE, YOU KNOW, THE DESTRUCTION LEFT BY THIS CRASH OVER ON THIS SIDE. AND THE POLICE OFFICERS REALLY AT WORK TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, LET PEOPLE THROUGH AND ALSO PICK UP THIS DEBRIS THAT’S LEFT HERE AS THEY CONTINUE TO RESPOND TO THIS. RIGHT NOW, YOU CAN SEE THOSE VEHICLES STARTING TO DRIVE AWAY. SO WE MIGHT SEE THAT TRAFFIC CLEAR UP HERE PRETTY SOON. FAMILIES ARE STARTING TO GET BACK IN THEIR VEHICLES AND DRIVE AWAY. SO VERY ACTIVE SCENE THAT WE’RE SEEING OUT HERE. OF COURSE THIS IS JUST DEVELOPING. THIS IS JUST UNFOLDING. SO A LOT OF THINGS MORE INFORMATION WILL PROBABLY BE GETTING IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF MINUTES. OF COURSE WE’RE GOING TO STAY ON TOP OF THAT. ALSO TALKING TO PEOPLE OUT HERE TO SEE WHAT THEY SAW. AND WE’LL MAKE SURE TO BRING THAT TO YOU AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. LIVE IN SACRAMENTO CAROLINA ESTRADA KCRA THREE NEWS. BACK TO YOU GUYS. CAROLINA, WILL WE HAVE YOU? JUST A QUICK QUESTION ABOUT WHERE THEY’RE GETTING THE TRAFFIC OFF THE FREEWAY. I KNOW THIS IS ALL RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT FIX 50 CONSTRUCTION ZONE. IS IT ONE OF THOSE SORT OF SEPARATED LANES? YOU KNOW, THEY’VE BEEN SHIFTING THE LANES AND MOVING TRAFFIC AROUND. ARE THEY ABLE TO ACCESS ONE OF THOSE NOW TO GET THE CARS OFF? EDIE THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT’S HAPPENING. I CAN ACTUALLY SHOW YOU HERE. WE’RE GOING TO SEE ONE OF THOSE COUNTY VEHICLES OVER ON THIS SIDE. IF OUR PHOTOJOURNALIST ALAN HELPS ME SHOW, YOU CAN SEE THAT WHITE VAN THAT YOU’RE GOING TO SEE HERE, THAT’S ACTUALLY A COUNTY VEHICLE. WE’RE GOING TO SEE IT DRIVE ON TO ONE OF THOSE AREAS WHERE THEY HAVE BEEN SHIFTING THE LANES HERE ON THE FIXED 50 PROJECT ON HIGHWAY 50, YOU CAN SEE THOSE VEHICLES AND THOSE OFFICERS DIRECTING THEM WITH LIGHTS OVER TO THAT AREA. AND THAT WAY THEY CAN GO AROUND WHERE THIS HELICOPTER CRASH AND GET OVER TO THE OTHER SIDE. SO THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT THEY’RE DOING. THEY MOVED UP THE THOSE SHOULDERS AND THEY’RE LETTING PEOPLE OFF OF THE FREEWAY. SO WE’RE GOING TO START SEEING ALL OF THIS CLEAR UP HERE VERY SOON. THEY’RE DOING IT ONE BY ONE VERY SLOWLY, OBVIOUSLY MAKING SURE THAT EVERYONE IS ABLE TO TO GET OFF THIS AREA PRETTY SAFELY, SAFELY. BUT THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT’S HAPPENING. YEAH. SUCH AN INTERESTING APPROACH. THEY’RE ABLE TO PRESERVE THE CRASH SITE AND STILL CREATE THAT SPACE FOR PEOPLE TO GET OFF THE HIGHWAY. CAROLINA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT VANTAGE POINT. ALL RIGHT. SO TO RECAP INFORMATION WE LEARNED JUST A FEW MINUTES AGO. AND IT’S INCREDIBLE INFORMATION THAT THREE PEOPLE HAVE SURVIVED THIS CRASH. THEY ARE IN CRITICAL CONDITION. AND ONE PERSON WAS ACTUALLY TRAPPED UNDERNEATH THE HELICOPTER. AND BYSTANDERS CAME IN AND HELPED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT LIFT THAT HELICOPTER UP OFF OF THAT VICTIM AND GET THAT PERSON OUT. AND SO WE KNOW THAT THREE PEOPLE ON BOARD ARE IN CRITICAL CONDITION, AND ALL OF THEM ARE IN THE HOSPITAL RIGHT NOW. AGAIN, THOUGH, THE IMPACT ON TRAFFIC CONTINUES. THE WRECKAGE WILL BE OUT THERE FOR QUITE SOME TIME. SO WE WILL CONTINUE TO POST UPDATES ON OUR APP, WHICH IS THE KCRA APP, AND ON OUR WEBSITE, KCRA.COM, AND WE’LL HAVE MUCH MORE FOR YOU ON OUR NEWSCAST LATER TONIGHT AT 10:00 ON MY58 AND 11 HE