Helicopter Crashes on Sacramento Highway, 3 Injured

A driver who narrowly avoided a helicopter crash while traveling along a Sacramento highway has shared chilling details of the incident that has left at least three critically injured.

A medical aircraft came plummeting down onto the busy Highway 50, which runs East from the California city until the Nevada state line near Lake Tahoe, just after 7pm local time.

As many as 15 bystanders rushed to the crash site to help drag victims from the ruins, authorities said.

Sacramento Fire told KCRA there were no patients on the REACH medical helicopter but a pilot, nurse and paramedic were on board.

Captain Justin Sylvia with Sacramento Fire said all three crew members were taken to the hospital with critical injuries.

Two staff were found on the roadway, while one was still stuck in the wreckage of the helicopter.

Davi Bychkoviak, a Sacramento resident who was on his way home from work when the tragedy struck, found himself just feet away from the aircraft as it slammed into the highway.

He told the Daily Mail that in the moments leading up to the disaster, he saw the red helicopter flying close to the ground, prompting him to start filming from his car.

Bychkoviak's video shows the doomed aircraft rapidly dropping and colliding with the highway in a matter of seconds.

The crash sent smoke shooting into the air as the helicopter was smashed into pieces.

Authorities are still probing the incident and said there are several injured victims.