Gut-wrenching dashcam video shows the chaotic scene as a REACH Air Medical chopper plummeted onto eastbound Highway 50 near Stockton Blvd Monday night. Three crew members, now fighting for their lives, were yanked from the twisted wreckage, igniting a desperate rescue scramble that snarled traffic until the wee hours.
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CHP reports the bird went down around 7 p.m., shutting the artery completely until past 1 a.m. Tuesday. Officials verified the aircraft carried no patients, just the pilot, a flight nurse, and a paramedic. All three got rushed to UC Davis Medical Center in bad shape.
Social media blew up when pals ID’d one victim as Suzie Smith, a Redding-based flight nurse with a heart of gold. This woman spent her own cash jetting off to Nicaragua to fix kids’ cleft palates.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the crash occurred shortly after 7 p.m., forcing a full freeway closure that lasted more than six hours before reopening around 1:20 a.m. Tuesday. Authorities confirmed there were no patients on board the aircraft at the time, only the pilot, a flight nurse, and a paramedic, all of whom were transported to UC Davis Medical Center in critical condition.
Friends identified one of the injured crew members as Suzie Smith, a veteran flight nurse based in Redding known for her volunteer medical missions in Nicaragua, where she helped repair cleft palates for children. “She’s just one of those exceptional people who uses her gifts to help others,” said friend Mary Beaver. “She would travel on her own expense just to make a difference.”
Smith’s pastor, Travis Osborne, told KCRA that she remains in critical condition with multiple injuries, including severe brain swelling. “We are just praying for a miracle,” Osborne said. “She’s in a dire situation, but we know God hears our prayers.”
The Sacramento Fire Department said the initial dispatch described a “vehicle extrication,” and first responders were unaware the crash involved a helicopter until they arrived. Capt. Justin Sylvia said roughly 15 bystanders ran toward the wreckage to assist firefighters in lifting the aircraft off a trapped crew member.
“It just shows a sense of community that everyone wants to lend a hand,” Sylvia said. “This was one of those times where we truly needed that help.”
Federal investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are examining the cause of the crash.
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