As Lake Travis emergency crews rushed to a crash on RM 620 that injured 10 people Wednesday afternoon, a drone flying 300 feet over the scene distracted firefighters, they said.
Lake Travis firefighters had to stop helping at the scene to secure the airspace after a STAR Flight helicopter landed, they said. “While this might not have seemed like a major delay, it’s important to remember that (STAR Flight) landed and did not see the drone that was operating in the airspace, which is a major risk,” fire officials said.
Fire engineer William Tatsch, a 17-year veteran of Lake Travis Fire Rescue, was driving a fire truck on RM 620, north of Comanche Trail in western Travis County, around 1:40 p.m. when he lost consciousness and collided into oncoming traffic, the agency said.