A helicopter fell into Highway 50 in Sacramento, California, heading east, just after 7 p.m. on Monday night. This caused the highway to come to a halt.
There have been injuries, but the exact number of victims and the severity of their injuries are still not clear as emergency workers arrive to the area. The Sacramento Fire Department’s first reports say that at least one car was stuck in the wreckage and that several people were hurt.
Details about the crash: Where and when it happened The incident happened on Highway 50 going east, near the Howe Avenue interchange, just after 7 p.m.
Identifying the Aircraft: At first, officials didn’t say what kind of aircraft it was, but pictures on social media and flight-tracking data show that it was a REACH Air Medical Services helicopter, specifically an Airbus H-130 (operated as Reach 5).
Flight Path: Data from OC Scanner and Flightradar24 show that the chopper had just taken off from UC Davis Medical Center when it crashed on the road.
Traffic Impact: The incident caused all eastbound lanes of Highway 50 to be closed, which caused long delays in traffic.
A shocking video of the helicopter crash near downtown Sacramento has now appeared online. It shows the helicopter shaking at a low height just before it hit the ground. Authorities are looking into the crash to find out what caused it.