A helicopter, which was transporting a heart to be transplanted, crashed on the helipad at an East Los Angeles hospital on Friday, November 6. The heart was recovered and handed off to a doctor who then tripped, ultimately dropping the organ.
A video shows the aftermath of the crash with the helicopter laying on its side on the top of Keck Medicine of USC in Boyle Heights on Friday around 3:15 pm.
The scene is flooded with firefighters, attempting to recover the donor heart aboard the helicopter.
The heart was recovered and passed off to a doctor. As the doctor begins to walk away with the organ, he trips and falls, dropping the heart in the process. The heart is then recovered a second time by another doctor.
Three people who were on the helicopter when it crashed escaped without any serious injuries. The pilot suffered minor injuries, KTLA reports.
Emma Duncan, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration shared that the helicopter was an AgustaWestland A109 which landed on the roof of the building's fifth floor.
The video shows the helicopter surrounded by small pools of unknown liquids with its tail end hanging over the side of the helipad.
The heart was being delivered from San Diego and remained in usable condition despite the helicopter crash and doctor's tripping incident.
Keck Medicine of USC released a statement on November 6 about the incident, writing, "The passengers aboard the helicopter are being treated locally. Nobody on the ground or in the hospital was injured and patient care has not been disrupted."
The statement continues, "Keck Medicine is working closely with Los Angeles Fire Department and Los Angeles Police Department to manage and investigate the incident."
"The helicopter was carrying a heart for transplant. The organ is currently being safely transplanted," the statement concludes.
The Los Angeles Fire Department took to Twitter with an update, saying, "The donated organ was safely retrieved by LAFD firefighters and handed over to [hospital] staff."
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