A rescuer was killed yesterday when she fell from a medical helicopter while attempting to save a woman from an Austin hiking trail.
Kristin McLain was 46 and a nurse for a 24-hour aerial emergency service company called Travis County STAR Flight.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the death and the scene of the incident, a safety board spokesman said. The NTSB will look at several factors such as flight history, weather conditions, and issues related to crew performance, including fatigue, training, workload and equipment design.
According to the Austin American-Statesman, officials said on Monday, STAR Flight responded about 8:25 p.m. to a rescue of a woman who had fallen in the Barton Creek Greenbelt, an Austin park.
When they arrived, firefighters and paramedics decided to remove her from the park by placing her on a hoist attached to the helicopter.
At about 9:50 p.m., McLain was helping pull the woman into the helicopter when she fell from the hoist and died, Travis County officials said.
The female patient was rescued and taken to an area hospital with injuries not considered to be life-threatening.
McLain had worked for seven years as a registered nurse with STAR Flight. She was a member of a staff that includes, paramedics, registered nurses and technicians.
Officials said that in the 30 years since STAR Flight has served the area, this is the first on-duty death.
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