A medical helicopter crashed onto U.S. Route 50 in Sacramento, California, Monday, sending the pilot and two medical staff to the hospital.

The wreck happened at about 7:05 p.m., the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

The helicopter was operated by REACH Air Medical Services, which said on Facebook that no patients were on board.

The surviving three were in critical condition, the Sacramento Fire Department said on X.

The helicopter crashed shortly after taking off from the roof of the UC Davis Medical Center, according to The Sacramento Bee.

The injured people were the pilot, a nurse and a paramedic, Sacramento Fire Department Capt. Justin Sylvia told The Associated Press.

Motorists on the highway helped firefighters rescue one of the victims from underneath the wreckage.

“It took every ounce of all approximately 15 people to move that aircraft up just enough to get her out,” Capt. Sylvia said.

Witness Isabella Lozano, whose grandson helped firefighters with the rescue, told the newspaper, “We were driving down Highway 50. … All of a sudden we see this helicopter. I thought it was gonna land, but it kept going down lower — and it just nose-dived. … And we all ran out of our cars, and I kept telling everyone, ’Pull her out. Get her out. Get the people out.’ We didn’t know what was gonna happen.”

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.