A shocking video captured the moment bystanders swiftly rushed to the aid of a young boy trapped beneath a downed helicopter that crashed at a California beach on Saturday.
The distressing footage depicts the Bell 22SP helicopter, piloted by daring pilot Eric Nixon, spiraling uncontrollably around 2 p.m. during the “Cars N Copters” event in Huntington Beach, as revealed in reports from KTLA-TV.
Onlookers scattered for safety as the helicopter plummeted onto the beach steps, with a young girl seen glancing down at the wreckage and fleeing in panic.
As rescuers approached the wreck, they found the boy, identified as Oliver Holland, trapped beneath the debris, while two men rushed to help him before the clip concludes, according to the report.
Nixon later shared on Instagram that he and his passenger were not severely hurt, while two adults and the young boy were hospitalized with injuries. The severity of their conditions has not yet been disclosed.
Authorities have not officially identified the passenger or the individuals injured in the incident.
“We are praying for a full recovery and can’t share much more than that,” Oliver’s sister stated on a GoFundMe page created to assist with medical costs. “We are uncertain about what the future holds.”
“Oliver was having fun at the beach when a helicopter malfunction caused it to crash down on him. He is currently in the hospital undergoing surgery; he has a collapsed lung and a brain bleed.”
By Sunday evening, the GoFundMe campaign had collected over $30,000 for Oliver’s medical needs.
Witnesses reported to KTLA that the helicopter’s rotor detached, resulting in a chaotic spin.
“It was spinning erratically,” bystander Jackson Etchert told the Orange County Register. “At first, I thought it was performing a trick. But as it spun faster, I realized it was about to crash.”
“First, the tail rotor broke off. Then I saw something that seemed to hit the main rotor blade.”
The National Transportation Safety Board has commenced an investigation into the crash.
