# EMS helicopter crashes in Minnesota, 3 injured



## cruiseforever (Sep 17, 2016)

http://kstp.com/news/crash-injures-three-crew-members-alexandria/4266604/?cat=1


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## VentMonkey (Sep 17, 2016)

Sigh, ironically enough I had just inquired about the AW109's, and though it may be too early to know if it was weather, mechanical, a combination of both, or numerous other causes, it's yet another unfortunate number added to this already all too common stigma

Prayers and wishes to all three crew members and their families.


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## Handsome Robb (Sep 17, 2016)

Sounds like there was quite a bit of fog :-/ too soon to know though. Did you get a chance to listen to the response audio? Difficult to listen to but they did a good job. 

Here's hoping for a speedy recovery of all three.


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## CALEMT (Sep 17, 2016)

Just gonna say it. Better with 3 injuries than 3 fatalities. Like Robb said hoping for speedy recoveries.


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## NomadicMedic (Sep 17, 2016)

Where was the response audio posted?


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## TransportJockey (Sep 17, 2016)

I saw it on facebook. I will look for a link 

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## VFlutter (Sep 17, 2016)

http://www.mnpoliceclips.com/audio-north-helicopter-crash-response---alexandria-mn---9-17-16.html


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## Handsome Robb (Sep 17, 2016)

Chase said:


> http://www.mnpoliceclips.com/audio-north-helicopter-crash-response---alexandria-mn---9-17-16.html


Yep that's the one. 


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## SeeNoMore (Sep 17, 2016)

That's chilling.


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## Household6 (Sep 18, 2016)

VentMonkey said:


> Sigh, ironically enough I had just inquired about the AW109's, and though it may be too early to know if it was weather, mechanical, a combination of both, or numerous other causes, it's yet another unfortunate number added to this already all too common stigma
> 
> Prayers and wishes to all three crew members and their families.



I'm don't know if it matters, but the pilot wasn't the regular pilot that flies this specific chopper. He was from a different Air Care region and so was the medical crew. 

I don't know if different aircraft of the same model have different gremlins or quirks? I'm not a pilot. And if was foggy AF on Friday night. This time of year when the air temp drops at night, the lakes stay warm and they roll off fog so thick it looks like the forest is on fire. 

And you know, Lifelink and NMMC EMS might razz the heck out of each other for being "competitors" in the same area, but wow. When things get hairy it's so clear that the patches on your sleeve don't mean a thing. There's a vicious loyalty for one another, it gives me warm fuzzies.


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## SandpitMedic (Sep 18, 2016)

Handsome Robb said:


> Sounds like there was quite a bit of fog :-/ too soon to know though. Did you get a chance to listen to the response audio? Difficult to listen to but they did a good job.
> 
> Here's hoping for a speedy recovery of all three.
> 
> ...


Speedy recovery, indeed.


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## VentMonkey (Sep 18, 2016)

Household6 said:


> I'm don't know if it matters, but the pilot wasn't the regular pilot that flies this specific chopper. He was from a different Air Care region and so was the medical crew.
> 
> I don't know if different aircraft of the same model have different gremlins or quirks


I believe they make reference to it in the audio recording.


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## SandpitMedic (Sep 18, 2016)

Just listened. That's wild. 
Any link for the Aircraft comms from the time yet?


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## Household6 (Sep 19, 2016)

Miles was one of my preceptors about four years ago. His wife shared the extent of his injuries on his caring bridge. Throw some prayers or ju-ju or good vibes down.

https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/milesweske


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## SeeNoMore (Sep 19, 2016)

That was incredibly moving to read , all I can think about is my wife coming to my bedside. I can't even imagine what they are going through. Please stay safe everyone. .


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## SeeNoMore (Sep 19, 2016)

And especially for all the folks new to flight here , please remember this job isn't worth your life! I'm not saying at all that anything was done incorrectly in this case, I don't know the details. There is of course inherent risk in the job.  But just in general : ask questions, express concerns, take your role in flight safety very seriously. If you don't feel comfortable , say no. If the program you work for does not support you in this, leave. If they don't seem to care about maintenance , safety concerns etc please leave. I have been uncomfortable several times when new and didn't say anything because I didn't want to seem scared or green. Every time we ended up turning back and aborting the flight - one in particular was a very tense flight back with some very poor weather. It can happen to you.


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## TransportJockey (Sep 19, 2016)

Just got to listen to the audio, it's a hell of a thing to listen to. It's always amazing, no matter the uniform, no matter the patch, we take care of our own.


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## Summit (Sep 19, 2016)

I couldn't listen to that. I turned it off. The caring bridge lays forth a bleak picture. Best thoughts...


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## NomadicMedic (Sep 19, 2016)

Summit said:


> I couldn't listen to that. I turned it off. The caring bridge lays forth a bleak picture. Best thoughts...



I heard the blurb in the radio traffic that said "CPR in progress" and was sick inside. You know every responder on site knew that crew.


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## TransportJockey (Sep 19, 2016)

Summit said:


> I couldn't listen to that. I turned it off. The caring bridge lays forth a bleak picture. Best thoughts...


I just created an account to read it... that doesn't sound good. At all. I have all the best wishes i can headed to them

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## Household6 (Sep 20, 2016)

DEmedic said:


> I heard the blurb in the radio traffic that said "CPR in progress" and was sick inside. You know every responder on site knew that crew.



It was a darling young 18 yo who heard the crash while he slept, then ran outside and searched the scene, and triaged the victims. 

The kid stemmed the bleeding of Miles' lacerated carotid, and preformed CPR when he went into cardiac arrest. 

*raises my glass to toast this young man*


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## Jim37F (Sep 20, 2016)

Any updates on the crew conditions? Pretty amazing the Flight Paramedic survived a traumatic cardiac arrest in the first place, huge props to that kid, definitely sounds like he was key to saving his life....


Household6 said:


> It was a darling young 18 yo who heard the crash while he slept, then ran outside and searched the scene, and triaged the victims.
> 
> The kid stemmed the bleeding of Miles' lacerated carotid, and preformed CPR when he went into cardiac arrest.
> 
> *raises my glass to toast this young man*


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## SeeNoMore (Sep 20, 2016)

I am only keeping up with the Paramedic because of the link posted and have not heard anything on the rest of the crew. I got the impression they were significantly less injured?  ,The last post was positive considering the severity of his injuries. His wife is showing such amazing strength.


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## NomadicMedic (Sep 20, 2016)

SeeNoMore said:


> I am only keeping up with the Paramedic because of the link posted and have not heard anything on the rest of the crew. I got the impression they were significantly less injured?  ,The last post was positive considering the severity of his injuries. His wife is showing such amazing strength.



Ugh. I just read it again. Doesn't sound like a lot positive there. I've been thinking about this crew a lot. The radio traffic really got me.


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## Household6 (Sep 20, 2016)

Nothing publicly shareable on the pilot or nurse yet, except they're still critical. The airbase was closed yesterday, but reopened today.



DEmedic said:


> Ugh. I just read it again. Doesn't sound like a lot positive there. I've been thinking about this crew a lot. The radio traffic really got me.



Thank you for thinking of them. Miles also worked for a little level 3 hospital up here, the crew (24 EMTs and Medics total) there is completely heartbroken, shaken, and not doing well.

Praying for a divine miracle, hoping he'll have cognitive abilities if he survives.


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## CANMAN (Sep 21, 2016)

Don't be afraid to speak up people. Turn around and go back towards good weather or land the damn aircraft if it's not going to be a planned IFR event...........


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## Household6 (Sep 22, 2016)

I'm just gonna put this out here, and humbly ask for social media shares on your personal pages, FB groups or other forums. 

https://www.gofundme.com/milesweske


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## SeeNoMore (Oct 3, 2016)

Is anyone keeping up with his progress on the caringbridge site? He's awake and able to communicate with his family per the last post.


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## NomadicMedic (Oct 3, 2016)

I am. I read the Caring Bridge updates every morning. I'm overjoyed that he's doing so well.


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## cruiseforever (Nov 16, 2016)

Update on the aircrew.  Wow what a recovery.

http://kstp.com/news/survivors-medi...overy-air-ambulance-alexandria/4319211/?cat=1


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## TransportJockey (Nov 16, 2016)

Hell yes!

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## DesertMedic66 (Nov 16, 2016)

I've been reading the journal entries everyday. Amazing recovery with an amazingly supportive girl at his side.


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## SandpitMedic (Nov 19, 2016)

Let's move this over to the HEMS forum, due to this being a crash with a survivor. It will be continued on through his recovery.


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## NomadicMedic (Nov 26, 2016)

71 days after the crash, Miles wrote his own post on Caring Bridge. I really want to meet that couple. And I want to send them a Wedding gift. Maybe Triscuts and Easy Cheeze.


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## NomadicMedic (Dec 25, 2016)

Here's a video update. Simply amazing recovery.


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## VentMonkey (Dec 25, 2016)

DEmedic said:


> Here's a video update. Simply amazing recovery.


There's a feel good holiday story.


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## Household6 (Dec 26, 2016)

Brooke stopped by a couple days ago sans Miles. He had OT. She sent out over 300 wedding invites, so that's 300 guests all with a +1. Dissa gonna be awesome, that's gonna be a whole lot of happy people and good juju under one roof. Hopefully there's no MCIs that night, EMS, HEMS and fire has very important plans. 

It gets me in my feelers, this could have so easily been a funeral with 300 guests instead of a wedding. 

Everyone is thrilled that he's totally off the narcs. It could have gone the other way so easily. We talked about it, perhaps it's our tender female hearts that sympathize with opoid dependent folks, but we were both worried about him suffering from chronic pain. So many people are one back injury, one slip and fall, one broken shoulder away from dependence. But she says there's nothing that 600mgs of an OTC nsaid can't handle. So grateful for that. 

She hasn't listened to the audio recording, neither has Miles. She's not sure if she'll ever be able to listen to it. But by very VERY bizarre coincidental circumstances, I was able to briefly view the wrecked bird. She wanted a photo since she wants to make a scrapbook someday. We're a weird breed of professionals, aren't we. It's easy to deal with other people mortality, but not our own.


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## NomadicMedic (Dec 26, 2016)

I feel like I know her after reading the caring Bridge blog. It would make a hell of a book. 

And I want to send them a wedding gift.


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## Household6 (Dec 30, 2016)

DEmedic said:


> I feel like I know her after reading the caring Bridge blog. It would make a hell of a book.
> 
> And I want to send them a wedding gift.



Throw me a PM, I have a mailing address. I asked Brooke if they registered, she said Miles didn't want to, he just wants everyone to be there at the wedding. Wanna be my date? My spouse is staying home with the kids, I still have a +1 on the RSVP.

Oh, almost forgot, local paper did another story.. <3 http://www.brainerddispatch.com/new...elicopter-crash-out-hospital-ready-work-again


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