MILFORD TWP., Ohio — US-127 closed for hours on Tuesday after a medical helicopter crashed while responding to a fatal vehicle crash in Butler County in the early morning hours.
The Butler County Sheriff's Office said the vehicle crash happened just after 4 a.m. Tuesday at the intersection of US-127 at Eaton Road in Milford Township. A 1998 Chevrolet Silverado traveling eastbound on Eaton Road drove into the intersection when a 2013 GMC Sierra traveling northbound on US 127 struck the Silverado.
A 69-year-old woman was ejected from the Silverado and pronounced dead at the scene, according to the sheriff's office.
A 43-year-old woman had to be extricated from the Silverado after the crash. She was transported to the hospital with "serious injuries," the sheriff's office said in a news release. Two others in the Silverado suffered minor injuries and were transported to the hospital. The driver of the Sierra was not injured, the Butler County Sheriff's Office said.
Premier Health said a CareFlight helicopter responded to the crash to transport the 43-year-old. The Butler County Sheriff's office said the helicopter struck some wires while attempting to land and crashed. It's unclear whether the wires caused the crash or if the helicopter was experiencing other issues before hitting them.
Duke Energy said the system locked out much of the electricity in the lines before they hit the ground, preventing possible electrocution hazards.
No patient was on board the helicopter when it happened. Three crew members were able to safely exit the helicopter. The helicopter crew was taken to the hospital for medical evaluation with non-life threatening injuries.
A few hundred power outages were reported in the area after the crash.
Air Methods Corp, who operated the helicopter, has contacted the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration and will work with the agencies through the investigation, according to a statement from Premier Health.
"The safety of patients and crew is of the utmost importance to us. We are grateful that no one was seriously injured in this incident," Premier Health said in the statement.
Butler County fatal crash 127: Standard for responding agencies to put helicopter landing cones near the scene for patient transport. I asked someone with Milford Twp. Fire who put the cones out (under the wires) and he said, “I’m not going to talk about that.” @WCPO pic.twitter.com/JvvEPVGbS7
— Jay Warren (@JayWarrenWCPO) July 26, 2022
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