Victims of Catalina medical helicopter crash identified
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All three victims of the deadly medical helicopter crash off Catalina Island have been publicly identified.
Killed in the crash were Steven “Steve” Robinson, the pilot, and Jessica deVries, who worked as a nurse, according to REACH Air Medical Services, the company that owned the craft.
According to records from the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office, Robinson was 59 and deVries was 48. The official causes of death for both were deferred, pending further investigation.
Authorities familiar with the investigation previously told The Times that the third victim was Catalina Romero, a 45-year-old resident of Avalon who was being taken to the mainland after suffering a severe allergy attack.
Two people are dead and one remains missing after a medical transport helicopter crashed off Catalina Island.
The helicopter crashed shortly after taking off from the island on Wednesday night. There were five people aboard at the time of the crash.
One of the survivors is Romero’s eldest son. The other was identified by REACH as Brad Sparks, a flight nurse who is still receiving medical care.
REACH said in a statement Friday that Robinson was a former U.S. Marine Corps helicopter pilot who flew Marine One in support of a former U.S. president. He was remembered for living a “life of service,” and his family described him as a “devoted husband, father, family member and friend who made those around him feel valued, supported and cared for.”
According to a statement, deVries was a former member of the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District, where she served as an EMS flight nurse and EMS nurse educator.
“She dedicated herself to caring for others and made a lasting impression on her co-workers, students, patients, and so many others throughout our organization,” the department said in a statement Friday evening.
Her family told REACH she was a “true hero, a devoted mother and an extraordinary woman whose strength, compassion and kindness touched everyone who had the privilege of knowing her.”
A fundraiser set up by one of Romero’s sons to help cover funeral and other costs had raised nearly $48,000 as of Friday night. Her family told The Times that Romero, a Mexican immigrant, was a “loving mom” who worked hard to make a living in hospitality on the island.
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