Rescuers recovered the final victim of Wednesday’s medical helicopter crash off Catalina Island, officials said Friday.
Police divers pulled the body of 45-year-old mother Catalina Hernandez, who was the patient aboard the aircraft suffering from an allergic reaction, from the Pacific Ocean waters. Her family said she had eaten something to cause the allergic reaction and was being transported on the chopper.
Hernandez was the last missing person of the five people aboard the helicopter, which crashed right after takeoff for unknown reasons. Two other people have been found dead, and two are recovering in the hospital.
Authorities needed to search more than 156 square miles in 23 hours to find Hernandez’s body, the Coast Guard said in a statement.
Hernandez’s 20-year-old son was also in the helicopter with his mother to help translate. Her son and a medic survived. The other two dead were the male pilot and a female nurse.
None of the victims, except the mother, have been identified by name.
The medical helicopter company, REACH Air Medical Services, shared a statement with The California Post Thursday mourning the victims.
“Today, the entire REACH family is grieving. This has been an incredibly difficult and emotional time for our organization, and our hearts are with everyone affected by this tragedy,” they wrote, confirming two crew members died in the crash.
“Our crews dedicate themselves to helping people on what are often the worst days of their lives. They answer the call at all hours to provide critical care to patients and support for families in moments of crisis. While many questions remain, our commitment,” they added.
A memorial service was held on Catalina Island to honor the victims of the crash.
The medical helicopter crash came just weeks after a news helicopter went down in Chatsworth while covering a bus collision. Three people died including a bystander, a reporter and the pilot.
