The plane crashed on a highway in the California city on Monday evening. The three injured people, the pilot, a nurse, and a paramedic, were treated in critical condition.

Images of the wreckage of the aircraft bear witness to the shock. Three people were taken to hospital in critical condition after a medical helicopter crashed on a Sacramento, California, freeway on Monday evening, October 6, according to numerous US media outlets, including NBC News.

The three injured were on board the helicopter, which had just taken off from the University of California Davis Medical Center and was heading north before it crashed around 7 p.m. on Highway 50.

Victim trapped under helicopter

The victims, two women and one man—the pilot, a nurse, and a paramedic—were transported to local hospitals in critical condition. “The captain immediately called for help from nearby civilians. They were able to lift part of the helicopter and remove the victim,” said Sacramento Fire Department Captain Justin Sylvia.

"The sirens were crazy, just the number of emergency services," a witness told local radio. Initially, only one truck managed to access the crash site, and the fire captain on the scene asked civilians present to help him lift part of the helicopter to free the victim.

The highway is expected to be closed for an extended period all day Tuesday, October 7. The fire captain said that while the three injured are in critical condition, emergency services are relieved that the fuel did not catch fire. "Given that these planes contain kerosene, the fire would have been very hot and intense," he concluded. "There is a fairly large debris field. It is extremely fortunate" that there were not more victims.