VIDEO: A pilot may have saved lives by crashing a medical helicopter in a grassy area on the South Side of Chicago rather than on major interstate highways or a train station nearby, officials said Sunday.
The four people onboard Saturday evening were injured but no one was hurt on the ground.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the crash occurred around 9:15 p.m. Saturday near the intersection of three expressways.
The patient in the helicopter was taken to a hospital in critical condition, said Chicago Fire Deputy District Chief Walter Schroeder, while the three crew members onboard were transported in stable condition.
The crash caused a snarl in Chicago traffic, with northbound I-57 and southbound I-94 lanes closed Sunday while the investigation continues.
Schroeder said the pilot issued a "mayday" call before the crash, but the exact cause is not yet known. He commended the pilot for putting the aircraft down in a grassy median away from traffic.