Firefighters somber after deadly helicopter crash in Shasta-Trinity forest
Crews are warned that emotions may hamper their ability to work safely. Witnesses of the crash believed to have killed 9 and injured 4 are to be debriefed and crash investigators are to arrive today.
JUNCTION CITY, Calif -- The mood was somber today as firefighters battling fires in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest gathered for their regular briefing two days after the helicopter crash that is believed to have killed nine people and injured four.
"The recent helicopter accident may cause unusually strong emotional reactions and could interfere with your ability to work safely or function normally," Mike Donch, a human resources specialist with the firefighting effort, cautioned the group assembled at the early morning meeting.
Donch said that two "critical incident management teams" are arriving today to begin debriefing the crew members who witnessed the Tuesday night helicopter crash.
Grief counseling would also be available for any firefighters who need it, he said.
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are also expected to arrive at the crash scene today.
The Sikorksy helicopter crashed about 7:45 p.m. Tuesday while taking off from a remote site about 35 miles northwest of Redding in Northern California, officials said.
The chopper was shuttling a hand crew back to its base in Junction City after three days of cutting fire lines in the wilderness. It took off with 11 firefighters and two pilots from a clearing cut by chain saws in the forest on a steep mountainside.
One of the survivors, Richard Schroeder, 42, said in a phone interview from his hospital room in Redding that it seemed that the helicopter's rotor hit a tree as it was taking off.
A father of five from Medford, Ore., Schroeder said someone behind him screamed for everyone to put their heads under their legs. "He was looking out the window and saw something," Schroeder said.
Schroeder's stomach dropped as the helicopter pitched forward and plummeted. He blacked out on impact and came to with a body on him, he said. He shoved the body off and saw that the tail of the aircraft was on fire.
His mouth was bleeding heavily and he could barely breathe. He said he thought, "I'm not dying here," and unbuckled himself and kicked out a partially broken window. He wiggled his way outside. Men above screamed at him to scramble up the slope.
The helicopter exploded as he watched from above. "I was totally shocked," he said. "I lost all my friends."
Schroeder sustained serious injuries to his neck, shoulder and back. He did not suffer any burns, he said.
