Freezing rain falling at time of fatal crash

Rockford Memorial helicopter pilot, flight nurses well-experienced, officials say

By Tara Becker tbecker@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 570

Created: Wednesday, December 12, 2012 1:15 a.m. CDT

Updated: Wednesday, December 12, 2012 1:38 p.m. CDT

COMPTON – A medical chopper hit bad weather Monday night and was returning to its base at a Rockford hospital when it crashed in a cornfield, killing all three aboard, officials said Tuesday.

Pilot Andy Olesen, 65, and flight nurses Jim Dillow, 40, and Karen Hollis, 48, were experienced REACT responders, and this was the aircraft’s first crash in its 21 years with the program, Rockford Health Systems officials said.

National Weather Service observations showed light snow, 7-mile visibility and light winds in the area around the time of the crash, meteorologist Jamie Enderlen said.

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Sauk Valley Bank opens new branch

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It was easy to get distracted by the performance of it all. The active shooter drill held by Sterling and County Police last week at the high school. The scenario; two armed shooters in the school killing students and teachers and the police and medical technician's response. It's an unfortunate drill, but a necessary one. In the hallways a Halloween mentality took over, especially when the ketchup-blood concoction was applied on the students. Small talk and "what I'm going to do" plans were passed around freely between laughs and odors of the sickly sweet blood stand-in. It was an odd contrast between real and imaginary, one I'm sure psychologists will explain to be a type of coping mechanism. I took these "portraits" of the injured and de

Freezing rain falling at time of fatal crash

Rockford Memorial helicopter pilot, flight nurses well-experienced, officials say

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Sauk Valley Bank opens new branch

Drill

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