California fire captain enlists motorists to lift downed chopper after hearing trapped medic groan 10 mins ago A California fire department captain says he yelled for bystanders on a California highway to help lift the wreckage of a downed medical helicopter off a paramedic pinned underneath after determining additional rescue crews would take too long to get to the scene. Capt. Peter Vandersluis of the Sacramento Fire Department told The Associated Press he asked motorists for help after hearing the paramedic groan. The team raised the aircraft in about 30 seconds. By the time the firefighter extracted the paramedic, less than a minute had passed. A pilot, nurse and paramedic were taken to hospitals in critical condition after Monday’s crash in California’s capital.

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