Lincoln resident Brandi Lindstrom was celebrating a birthday with friends when she heard the Life Flight helicopter begin circling overhead. She captured the attempted landing on video. The aircraft is mostly hidden in a cloud of dust before its rotors clip a nearby sign..
Lindstrom says she has some EMT training and helped the crew out of the wrecked helicopter.
“They were fine,” Lindstrom tells MTPR. “They were just shaken up. They all refused medical.”
Police and fire officials confirmed the three onboard were unharmed. The Missoula-based helicopter attempted to land shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday just off Highway 200, which runs through the heart of Lincoln. It was responding to an injury in an ATV accident.
The Lincoln Rural Fire Department says a ground team came to pick up the injured person instead. Chief Zach Muse told MTPR the patient is in stable condition.
Life Flight Network is a nonprofit with bases in Missoula, Butte and Bozeman and in neighboring states. It partners with hospitals to provide air ambulance transport.
In a statement, Life Flight said it’s grateful no one was injured and it is cooperating with authorities. The Federal Aviation Administration is leading the investigation into the crash.
