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Patient Killed as Medical Copter Crashes a Block Short of Texas Hospital

Three medical crew members were also injured when their medevac helicopter crashed just one block short of a hospital in Wichita Falls, Texas.
Image: A medical helicopter crashes in downtown Wichita Falls, killing one person and injuring three on Oct. 4.
A medical helicopter crashes in downtown Wichita Falls, killing one person and injuring three on Oct. 4.KFDX via NBCDFW

A gunshot victim was killed and three medical crew members were seriously injured when a medevac helicopter crashed early Saturday in Wichita Falls, Texas, authorities said. The chopper crashed shortly before 2 a.m. (3 a.m. ET) just one block short of United Regional Hospital in Wichita Falls, en route from Waurika, Oklahoma, about 35 miles away.

Wichita Falls authorities said in a statement that the wounded patient was killed and that the crew members — the pilot, a flight nurse and a flight paramedic — were being treated at hospitals in Wichita Falls and Dallas.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and Waurika police identified the patient as Buddy Rhodes, 26, who had been shot at a Waurika apartment about 11:30 p.m. Friday. No one has been arrested in Rhodes' shooting, they said. The National Transportation Safety Board identified the chopper as a Bell 206 LongRanger III and said it was investigating the crash.

Image: A medical helicopter crashes in downtown Wichita Falls, killing one person and injuring three on Oct. 4.
A medical helicopter crashes in downtown Wichita Falls, killing one person and injuring three on Oct. 4.KFDX via NBCDFW

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