BOSTON (WSVN) — A New England man on vacation in South Florida described the heart-stopping moment a helicopter crashed into the water and the tense rescue that followed.
Wade Callison and his daughter, who were visiting from Massachusetts, said they were in the water on South Beach, near 10th Street, when they spotted the aircraft losing altitude, Saturday afternoon, stunning beachgoers.
“The crash was deafening, and just in that moment, it was like something out of a movie,” he said. “It sprayed us. We were that close, like, we were like 20 feet [away]. The canopy, it was like a Plexiglass canopy, it exploded. Pieces flew towards us.”
The Callisons’ relaxing vacation quickly turned into a race to the rescue.
“All of a sudden the thing just came down and crashed down, and there’s a couple, I don’t know, 15 feet from us, and we’re yelling at them, ‘Watch out, watch out!'” said Wade, “and they looked up, moved, and it went down not far between us.”
The pilot made it out on his own, but two women were still inside the sinking chopper.
Callison said he and another man worked to free the passengers.
“This gentleman and I were able to get to the lady in the font, who was the pilot’s wife. Got her out, and were able to get her free and hold her head stable and float her out under the canopy,” he said, “and two of us carried her like that in our arms until a surfboard got there. We were able to put her on the surfboard, and then we went back to get the other lady out of the helicopter.”
The passengers and pilot were treated at the scene. The women were transported to Ryder Trauma Center and are currently recovering from surgery.
Callison said he is thankful he and others were there to help.
“There were, like, 15 guys hanging from one skid to keep it from flipping, and then while people were getting them out,” he said. “In that moment, you have to go help, and I’m just glad I was able to be there and to help just the little bit that I did.”
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash.
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