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FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) -- The lone survivor of last weekend's mid-air crash of two medical helicopters died at a hospital after the family decided to take him off of life support.
James Taylor, 36, was injured last Sunday when the two medical helicopters collided about a half-mile from the hospital, killing six people aboard the two crafts. Taylor, of Eagle Mountain, Utah, had been in critical condition since being taken to Flagstaff Medical Center after the fiery crash.
Taylor was a registered nurse at St. Mark's Hospital in Salt Lake City and was working his second job as a flight nurse in Arizona at the time of the crash.
Relatives said they held out hope that Taylor would recover, but decided on Friday -- the Fourth of July -- to take him off the machines that were keeping him alive.
"He was a patriot. He loved his country," sister Tami Taylor told The Salt Lake Tribune. "In a way, it's a wonderful day that he could have passed today because he cared about his country."
Taylor is survived by his wife and three children.
A memorial service for the victims is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Pine Mountain Amphitheater in Flagstaff. It will be open to the public and the media.
The lead official investigating the fatal crash of two medical helicopters said he'll have a report ready sometime next week.
National Transportation Safety Board investigator Aaron Sauer said his team continues to look at surveillance video, interview with witnesses and hospital staff to determine what happened before the choppers collided.
The engine control units from both aircraft also are being sent to the manufacturer in Hartford, Conn., to extract data about the helicopters' altitude and speed.
Earlier in the week, investigators picked through the wreckage. They found that the tail of one helicopter showed signs that it had been hit by a rotor blade.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the Flagstaff collision was only the second mid-air crash involving a medical helicopter in the past 25 years, and the first that involved two medical aircraft.
One of the helicopters was operated by Air Methods from Englewood, Colo., and the other was from Classic Helicopters of Woods Cross, Utah.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
