Four Injured In Chicago Fire Chopper Emergency Landing

July 3, 2006
All four passengers apparently suffered only minor injuries.

A Chicago Fire Department helicopter made an emergency landing just off Lake Shore Drive near 39th Street.

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The helicopter landed upside down in the park just east of Lake Shore Drive near Pershing Road.

The helicopter sustained considerable damage, according to police News Affairs spokeswoman Robin Mohr.

Sky5's Mike Alzaldi described the helicopter as a Bell 205 (Huey).

Helicopter 681 was carrying four people, who were taken to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Fire Media Director Larry Langford. He said all four apparently suffered only minor injuries.

It wasnt a crash, it was an emergency landing, Langford said. It was unknown what the problem was, but emergency landings, can be kind of hard [rough], he said.

Lake Shore Drive has been closed in both directions as a result of the accident, with southbound traffic being turned back north at 31st Street and northbound traffic being turned back south near 47th, according to police.

According to the Marine Unit officer, a witness stated that two occupants of the helicopter walked away, from the crash

An EMS Plan 1 was called, bringing five ambulances to the scene. That call was "secured," or completed, at about 12:30 p.m.

Additional information provided by Chicago Sun-Times Inc.

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