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| Vol. 21, No. 15 |
| August 15, 1999 |
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Life Flight Trio is Honored Friends and family, area emergency medical personnel, Memorial Hermann Healthcare System staff and former Life Flight patients gathered at a memorial service July 25 to pay tribute to the dedicated trio of lifesavers who perished in a crash. The crash occurred July 17, shortly before a scheduled refueling stop south of Houston.
Paramedic Charles R. "Mac" Atteberry, 30, flight nurse Lynn Ethridge, 35, and pilot John Pittman, 58, were remembered as professionals who devoted their lives to saving the lives of others. The crash was the first in Life Flight's 23-year history of over 60,000 flights. Atteberry had been with Life Flight for seven years; prior to that he was a paramedic with the Cypress Creek Emergency Medical Service and volunteer firefighter. Ethridge also worked at Cypress Creek EMS, as a student nurse, while she finished her nursing course work. She was with Hermann and Life Flight for seven years. Pittman was a 30-year veteran helicopter pilot; he'd been with Life Flight for 10 years. "They were dedicated and caring individuals, so we say good bye knowing that their lives truly made a difference," George R. Farris, chairman of the Memorial Herman board, told the crowd of 2,000. During the ceremony, the two remaining Life Flight helicopters and Life Flight's long distance jet aircraft made passes over the stadium. A large contingent of emergency medical service personnel from different departments and municipalities attended the service. Gene Weatherall, chief of the emergency management bureau for the Texas Department of Health, said that the three are among 26 emergency medical workers who have lost their lives while on duty. He said that their names would be added to a memorial in Austin. "They made the ultimate sacrifice," Memorial Hermann president and CEO Dan Wilford told the News. "Truly, they died in the line of duty. But they were doing what they loved to do." James E. Eastham, Memorial Herman Hospital senior vice president and chief executive officer, said, "There's been a tremendous outpouring from the medical community and the community at large which has shown us, once again, what Life Flight means to this community, what an asset it is. The Life Flight team itself has pulled together, had a tremendous bonding, and is now back at work and focusing on the new emergency center scheduled to open August 16. They are determined that the Life Flight and emergency services will move to a new level and become a national model. These three dedicated professionals are part of the foundation of that." - ROGER WIDMEYER
©2006 Texas Medical Center E-Mail: tmc-info@tmc.edu URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/08_15_99/page_02.html |
