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Crisis situations are daily occurrences for those who staff aeromedical flight teams. Virtually every day they risk their lives to rescue victims of the worst accidents or transport critically ill patients from remote areas.
Mostly, their heroic deeds go unnoticed by the masses . . . until tragedy strikes as it did two weeks ago.
Pilot Craig Bingham and paramedic Mario Guerrero paid the ultimate price in an ill-fated effort to help others. Fortunately, flight nurse Stein Rosqvist is recovering from the serious injuries he sustained in the crash of their Life Flight helicopter.
It brought to mind a similar crash five years earlier, almost to the day, of an AirMed helicopter during a daring mountain rescue mission in Little Cottonwood Canyon. In that tragedy, four people died, including the man they were attempting to save.
Aside from the two terrible accidents, IHC’s Life Flight and University Hospital’s AirMed have impressive safety records. Between them, they fly more than 5,000 missions each year. Mostly, they transport patients with critical medical needs.
In 25-years of service think of the suffering they have mitigated and the lives they’ve saved.
KSL joins the community in mourning the loss of pilot Bingham and paramedic Guerrero. At the same time, we express thanks to those unsung heroes who will continue taking regular risks to provide medical expertise in times of critical need.
