US EMS Death rate soars in the new year
WASHINGTON — A sharp increase in fatal accidents on medical helicopters and planes over the past year has prompted two federal aviation agencies to launch safety reviews and to consider broad improvements, the agencies said this week.
The issue has been under examination for months, but three crashes that killed six people in the past nine days have made the issue more urgent.
• A pilot and a paramedic died Monday night when their helicopter plunged into the Potomac River near Washington, D.C.
• Three people died Tuesday when a twin-turboprop used to carry patients crashed in Rawlings, Wyo.
• The pilot of a medical helicopter died in a Jan. 5 crash in Falkner, Miss.
At least 37 people have died in 12 medical helicopter and plane crashes over the past 12 months, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Seven died in 2003.
The FAA has never taken a hard look at the EMS business....changes usually come within the industry and are generally driven by insurance costs.