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Three crew members were injured when a medical helicopter crashed on Highway 50 in Sacramento on Monday night shortly after taking off from the UC Davis Medical Center.

Those on board the REACH Air Medical Services H130 included a pilot, nurse and paramedic, and all three were critically injured. No patient was on board.

The crash was reported just after 7 p.m. on eastbound Highway 50 just east of Stockton Boulevard. The freeway was closed for hours before crews reopened the roads around 1:20 a.m. Tuesday.

On Wednesday morning, REACH identified all three crew members and gave an update on their condition. They are:

KCRA 3 is working to learn more about each crew member. Below is what we know so far.

Chad Millward

Prior to piloting for REACH, Millward was a former officer with the California Highway Patrol. The agency said in a statement that "Millward demonstrated courage and selflessness."

CHP said Millward earned the Governor's Public Safety Medal of Valor for his life-saving actions during the 2017 Atlas Fire, which led to six deaths and burned more than 51,000 acres in Napa and Solano counties. According to California's Medal of Valor Awards, Millward was part of a rescue operation involving multiple flights in the dark that involved smoke, ash and embers from the Atlas Fire. He is credited with saving 15 lives.

Millward was with CHP for 28 years.

"His service and commitment to protecting others serve as a testament to the highest ideals of this Department," CHP said in its statement. "We are profoundly grateful to the first responders and good Samaritans who rushed to render aid immediately following the crash. Their quick and compassionate actions embody the very best of our community.”

Susan Smith

Friends of Smith on Tuesday first identified her and said she is a Redding resident.

One of Smith's friends said the nurse would travel to Nicaragua every year to fix cleft palates and described her as the most giving person she's ever known.

"She's just one of those exceptional people who's out there using her, you know, her intelligence in that to help people. But just that type of person who will go over there on her own expense and help those people," said Mary Beaver, a longtime friend of Smith.

Her pastor, Travis Osborne, said Smith remains in critical condition as of Tuesday evening. Osborne told KCRA that she's being treated for numerous injuries, including brain swelling.

"We are just praying for a miracle. We know God hears our prayers, and it's dire. You know, she's in a dire situation," said Osborne.

Margaret "DeDe" Davis

A family member of Davis said on Wednesday that the paramedic was receiving "incredible" care at U.C. Davis Medical Center as she recovered from injuries sustained in the crash. He said she was recovering well and in good spirits, deferring to REACH for further comment.

Bystanders rushing in to help

Following the crash, a group of around 15 witnesses and bystanders ran to offer assistance, even lifting the helicopter up to free someone who was trapped. Some even acknowledged to KCRA 3 that they didn't know if the crashed aircraft would explode.

Smith's friends shared gratitude for the numerous bystanders who rushed into the dangerous crash scene to help.

-Reporters Andres Valle and Lee Anne Denyer contributed to this report.

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All three people aboard the medevac helicopter that crashed Monday night onto the eastbound lanes of Highway 50 in East Sacramento on Monday night have been identified and remain hospitalized in critical condition.

Reach Air Medical Services, which operated the flight, on Wednesday identified two of the crew members as pilot Chad Millward, 60, and paramedic Margaret “DeDe” Davis, 66. They are both in critical but stable condition, according to a statement from the medevac company.

Susan “Suzie” Smith, 67, a nurse also aboard the flight, was identified by family Tuesday. Her condition is critical and remains unstable, according to the company’s statement.

The three crew members departed UC Davis Medical Center in a medical helicopter shortly after 7 p.m. Monday, headed for Redding. Their flight ended less than a minute later with a crash landing the freeway, about a quarter-mile from the hospital’s rooftop.

No patients were aboard and the three crew members were the only ones injured from the crash, which narrowly avoided highway traffic. Motorists who witnessed the crash helped firefighters extricate the victims from the damaged helicopter in the moments after it plummeted to the roadway.

“On behalf of our crew, their families and Reach, we extend heartfelt thanks to the bystanders who helped during their rescue,” the company statement said. “We deeply appreciate those who became first responders by supporting our flight crews during their time of need and showed exceptional courage during this crucial moment.”

All three crew members were taken to UC Davis Medical Center for treatment within about 20 minutes of the crash, authorities said at the time.

The cause of the crash is unknown and remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration.

Millward is a resident of Palo Cedro and Davis resides in Meridian, both near Redding where the helicopter known as Reach 5 was based.

Smith, a longtime nurse also from Palo Cedro, suffered multiple serious injuries from the crash, according to a statement from her family. She became a nurse at 22 and has dedicated parts of her life to providing missionary medical work in Latin America.

“Those who know Susie know that she is a tough and strong woman,” the statement said. “Additionally, she has an amazing faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If anyone can overcome these challenges, it’s Sue.”

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

Officials have identified all three crew members who were on board a medical helicopter that crashed in Sacramento earlier this week.

REACH Air Medical Services, the company that owned the H130 helicopter that crashed Monday evening along Highway 50 near Stockton Boulevard, released the names and conditions of the pilot, nurse and paramedic who were critically wounded from the crash.

Their names are:

The UC Davis Medical Center said all three are receiving treatment at its facility.

"Our team members remain hospitalized, and we want to assure everyone that they are receiving the very best care," a statement from REACH read. "We know this is a difficult time for their families, friends, and colleagues, and our thoughts are with them as we hope for healing and recovery."

The company's release also included a statement from Smith's family.

"Those who know Susie know that she is a tough and strong woman. Additionally, she has an amazing faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ," the statement said. "If anyone can overcome these challenges, it's Sue."

A pastor who spoke with KCRA 3 on Tuesday said Smith was being treated for numerous injuries, including brain swelling.

Prior to piloting for REACH, Millward was a former officer with the California Highway Patrol. The agency said in a statement that "Millward demonstrated courage and selflessness."

CHP said Millward earned the Governor's Public Safety Medal of Valor for his life-saving actions during the 2017 Atlas Fire, which led to six deaths and burned more than 51,000 acres in Napa and Solano counties. According to California's Medal of Valor Awards, Millward was part of a rescue operation involving multiple flights in the dark that involved smoke, ash and embers from the Atlas Fire. He is credited with saving 15 lives.

Millward was with CHP for 28 years.

"His service and commitment to protecting others serve as a testament to the highest ideals of this Department," CHP said in its statement. "We are profoundly grateful to the first responders and good Samaritans who rushed to render aid immediately following the crash. Their quick and compassionate actions embody the very best of our community.”

REACH also praised bystanders who rushed to help first responders at the crash site. The Sacramento Fire Department said a group of about 15 people helped lift the helicopter so firefighters could pull one of the crew members from underneath the helicopter.

The fire department initially responded to the location for a "vehicle extrication assignment," unaware at the time that the call involved a helicopter. That particular assignment response meant crews were equipped to pull people from vehicles, not aircraft.

Video obtained by KCRA 3 shows the helicopter quickly losing altitude before slamming into eastbound freeway lanes. Once it came to a rest, white smoke poured out from the aircraft.

That smoke was likely a function of the H130 helicopter, which has a fuel-resistant system designed to reduce the likelihood of ignition after a crash.

Had the helicopter caught fire, Sacramento Fire said that would have made the situation much worse, as heavy traffic at the time made it difficult for first responders to arrive at the crash site.

The helicopter was departing from the UC Davis Medical Center, which is the only level 1 trauma center in the region, transporting critical patients across 33 counties.

Flight data shows the helicopter had been in the air for less than 30 seconds before quickly losing altitude. The cause of the crash is unknown, and the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

Three people are recovering from major injuries after a medical helicopter crashed on Highway 50 in Sacramento on Monday.

On Tuesday, KCRA 3 News spoke with two first responders who helped the three people injured in the crash.

Deputy Duncan Brown, a pilot with Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office Air Operations, said he saw the plume of smoke as he headed towards the scene Monday night.

“I saw the helicopter over on its side on the freeway and debris everywhere,” he said. “It was complex. The freeway backed up immediately, and we could see all kinds of first responders trying to get to it, and they just couldn't.”

While he could not speak to the specifics of the flight or crash, he commended the pilot for navigating the emergency.

“He was able to keep his momentum and clear all those houses to Highway 50 and then find an open spot on Highway 50 where he didn't hit any civilians,” he said. “Major credit to that pilot.”

Brown said from his own aircraft, he and others helped navigate the first responders to the crash site.

“In helicopters, there's a safe zone and that is high and fast. And unfortunately, medevac leave helipads slow and low,” he explained.

On the ground, Deputy Jeremiah Kim was getting onto Highway 50 at a nearby on-ramp when he heard the call about the crash over his radio.

“This doesn't normally happen, so especially for the fire department, they did a great job coordinating,” he said. “Their captain on scene was like an orchestra, conducting an orchestra in a way, getting his guys to and from, which patients need to go where.”

He worked through the backed-up traffic to reach the helicopter and said a woman was stuck beneath the aircraft. More than a dozen bystanders assisted first responders in freeing her.

“Humans are inherently good,” Kim said.

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are leading the investigation with assistance from the California Highway Patrol.

REACH Air Medical Services shared a statement on social media thanking concerned community members for their support and said more information would be provided when it becomes available.

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