Nursing Home Staffers Hailed Heroes After Working To Save Crash Victims

Nurses and staff members at St. Ann Nursing Home put their lives on the line to help save others after an early morning helicopter crash in northwest Oklahoma City Friday.

News 9 has learned new information from an employee at the nursing home who says heroes were working to save fellow heroes Friday. Shortly before 6 a.m., the medical helicopter crashed. Immediately following, eight selfless staff members from St. Ann's rush outside to help.

"They took fire extinguishers with them to see what they could do," nursing home employee Beverly Ward said.

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Ward was arriving to work at St. Ann's shortly after the crash when she leaned of the heroic tale. At least one of her colleagues received burns trying to save the three Eagle Med employees in the crash. The nursing home workers found one man still alive, but on fire.

"He was communicating with them," Ward said. "[He was] telling them what to do to help put him out…get the fire put out."

Ward says the lady who was helping put the fire out on Billy Wynne is a wonderful woman who would give you the shirt off her back. Ward says the crash happened during a shift change when people were coming and going from the parking lot, feet away from the crash.

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"There was a second explosion," Ward said. "I don't know how anyone else wasn't hurt when the second explosion went off."

Ward says she is very proud to work with such great people who would risk their lives to save someone. The hardest part, Ward says, is the pain knowing there are families dealing with the shock of sudden death.

Nurse Chris Denning, who also worked for the Oklahoma Heart Hospital, died at the scene. Pilot Mark Montgomery, who is being praised for avoiding people on the ground, also died.

On Friday night, family members of the sole survivor, paramedic Billy Wynne, said via social media that their loved one was being treated at a Dallas hospital. Originally, Wynne was transported to OU Medical Center, according to medical officials.

2/22/2013 Related Story: Two Killed, One Critically Injured After Medical Helicopter Crashes