Two first responders speak about the chopper crash that left a pilot injured. NBC 6’s Kim Wynne reports.
A pilot was injured after a helicopter crashed into a park in Coconut Creek Thursday.
Footage showed the wreckage of the helicopter in a wooded area at Tradewinds Park off Sample Road. Multiple rescue units were at the scene.
At one point, a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue helicopter crew hoisted the pilot out of the wreckage area.
“The patient was extracted, I believe, 15 minutes from the time that we arrived,” said Lt. Alexander Acosta, one of the Miami-Dade Air Rescue first responders at the scene. “We were able to rescue the victim and get him to a hospital as quickly and safely as possible. The individual was speaking to me at the time.”
Officials said the pilot, who was the only person on board, was rushed to a local hospital but was in stable condition and expected to survive. The identity of the pilot wasn't released.
The pilot had been transporting materials for a construction project in the park when the helicopter went down, officials said.
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“The helicopter crashed into a very heavily wooded, heavily swampy area of Tradewinds Park that you can’t get to on foot,” said Scotty Leamon, public information officer for the Coconut Creek Police Department.
“Your adrenaline goes up,” Acosta said. “But, I think you go into a second gear where it’s natural for you due to the amount of training we do.”
The cause of the crash was under investigation by the FAA and NTSB.
