Two heroes rescue two from helicopter crash near Rathdrum
Chris Larson of Northern Lakes Fire answers questions at a hastily-convened press conference on the corner of Highway 41 and Wyoming, where a helicopter crashed Tuesday evening. Both occupants survived, thanks to two heroes who happened to be near the scene. (CRAIG NORTHRUP/Press)
MADISON HARDY/Press The remains of a helicopter that crashed in a field off Highwayt 41 and Wyoming Tuesday evening.
A pair of hero bystanders prevented disaster late Tuesday afternoon after rescuing two survivors of a helicopter crash near Rathdrum.
The initial 9-1-1 call came in at 5:07 p.m. with the report of a fire near the intersection of Wyoming Avenue and Highway 41, south of Rathdrum, though Northern Lakes Fire public information officer Chris Larson said he was on his way home from work when he saw the black column of smoke.
By the time Larson and the local first responders arrived, fire had covered the crash site.
“The helicopter was fully engulfed at the time,” Larson said. “Both patients did have extensive burns to their bodies.”
But Larson said the first responders also found the survivors standing and talking when they arrived, despite the total loss of the aircraft, all because two bystanders rushed to the site, pulled one occupant from the cockpit and led them both to safety.
“They helped one get out,” Larson said. “They saw movement in the door; it was ajar. They opened up the door and got the other patient out.”
According to Larson, the bystanders — one of whom had called 9-1-1 — then rolled the survivors to the ground and knocked the fires from their burning bodies before taking them to safety on the other side of Highway 41.
Deputy Joshua Leyk of the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, the acting watch commander during the incident, said the two occupants of the helicopter were taken to Kootenai Health, where they remain in serious condition, adding that their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. Names of the patients have not yet been released, as their families have not yet been notified as of press time. The names of the two bystanders have not been released because the matter is now under investigation by the FAA and the NTSB.
“We just want to thank the community for obviously calling it in,” Leyk said, “and the people running out to assist the folks that were involved in the collision.”
Larson echoed those sentiments wholeheartedly.
“The bystanders that showed up,” he said, “one was a father with his children, the other was a young male that had a first aid kit. What they did was outstanding. You can’t ask for more from our citizens ... They absolutely are heroes.”
