Fri, 05 Mar 2010 09:07:50 +0000

SALT LAKE CITY (AP/WAVY) - Two crew members remained in critical condition Thursday after an Elizabeth City-based Coast Guard helicopter crashed in the Utah mountains.

The helicopter with five aboard crashed Wednesday morning as the crew was headed back to its base in North Carolina, after providing security support for the Winter Olympics.

University Hospital officials said Thursday afternoon that Cmdr. Patrick Shaw of Juneau, Alaska and Petty Officer 2nd Class Gina Panuzzi, of Lacey, Wash., remained in critical condition. Both suffered internal injuries.

A third crew member, Lt. Cmdr. Steven Cerveny, of Lincoln, Neb., was in serious condition after suffering a broken leg.

Two others aboard, Petty Officer 3rd Class Darren M. Hicks, 22, of Oroville, Wash., and Petty officer 3rd Class Edward Sychra, 26, of Blanchard, Idaho, were not seriously injured.

The Coast Guard planned to begin its investigation into the crash on Thursday.

"A helicopter typically, unless the motor head seizes up, just doesn't fall out of the air like a rock," said Captain John Hardin, Commander of Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City.

Authorities said snow and wind affected visibility but they don't know if that's what caused the crash.

The MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter was one of two traveling through the area after a security detail for the Vancouver Games, said Dan Dewell, a spokesman for the Coast Guard's 11th District in Alameda, Calif.

The helicopters made a refueling stop in Salt Lake City -- one of several required for the long trip -- and were headed to Leadville, Colo., before spending the night in Kansas City.

The helicopter went down in a snowy, wooded area about 50 miles east of Salt Lake City.

Coast Guard officials didn't immediately know why the helicopter went down. Blizzard-like conditions were reported at the time of the crash, said Chief Mike Hvozda, a spokesman for the Coast Guard's 5th district, which includes Air Station Elizabeth City.

"I'm not sure if that's what they ran into or not but that's what was reported to us," Hvozda said.

Wasatch County Sheriff Todd Bonner told KSL-TV that visibility was "very minimal" because of snow and wind at the time of the crash.

"They (were) flying a low height, and they just kind of banked in the wrong area -- didn't really see what was there apparently -- and into the pine trees," Bonner said.

After the crash, the co-pilot used a cell phone to call the Coast Guard colleagues, Dewell said. Detective Ron Bridge of the Summit County sheriff's department also said at least one crew member from the downed helicopter communicated via text message, but communications were difficult because of the terrain.

The helicopter ended up on its side in a heavily wooded area accessible only by snowmobile, said Sgt. Jeremy Hales of the Wasatch County sheriff's office.

The second helicopter spotted the wreckage but had to refuel before it returned to pick up two of the injured, according to Lt. Col. Susan Romano, of the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center in Panama City, Fla. A third crew member was flown out in a second helicopter.

All three were taken to University Hospital at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

The two others were taken out by snowmobile.

The crash hits hard with the close-knit Coast Guard community, Hvozda said.

"Whenever we hear something like this, you heart immediately goes out to the folks involved and their families," he said.

"The fact that this happened and all five were recovered safe, there are no words to express how I feel," Hardin said.

Coast Guard officials didn't have any information about why the helicopter went down.

"I couldn't tell you how it happened," Hardin said. "It could have been mechanical, pilot or weather. That's still under investigation."

Some good news to report  - KP continues to make great strides in his recovery.

Just one month after he sustained a serious head injury, Kevin’s been moved from the University of Utah Hospital to Craig Hospital where he’ll begin taking the next steps in his path to recovery.

Holly Ledyard MD of University of Utah Hospital, who was one of the doctors attending to Kevin, said “Kevin has made tremendous progress since being admitted to University of Utah Hospital on December 31. He is able to walk and do many daily activities with some assistance. I asked him how he felt about being discharged from the hospital and he said, ‘Excited! I’m ready to keep on going!’ His positive attitude and determination will certainly serve him well as he moves on to the next phase of his rehabilitation.”

Craig Hospital is well-known for its specialisation in rehabilitation and research for people with traumatic brain injury and Alan H. Weintraub MD, who’ll be leading Kevin’s team, is keen to help him continue his rehab, as he explains: “Craig Hospital’s specialized TBI treatment program has begun a comprehensive evaluation of Kevin’s neurological injury and his rehabilitation needs. Our goal is to assist Kevin and his family through this challenging journey and help them reach their fullest potential in every phase of recovery. I also want to acknowledge the excellent work since Kevin’s injury by our acute care colleagues at the University of Utah.

Kevin’s parents gave a special thank you to all of the doctors, nurses and staff at the University of Utah Hospital who have helped Kevin and the Pearce family though this difficult time. The Pearce family would also like to thank all of the friends and fans of Kevin for their outpouring of support, thoughts and prayers; they have helped Kevin get through his day. With Kevin embarking on a new level of rehabilitation the Pearce family look forward to the experience at Craig Hospital with great optimism.

Tags: injury, kevin pearce