Third victim identified as Avalon woman flown after allergic reaction

Divers recovered the final body from a medical helicopter that crashed off Catalina Island, California, on Wednesday evening, ending a search for the missing third victim and bringing the crash’s death toll to three.

The flight was operated by REACH Air Medical Services, and the aircraft was a Eurocopter EC135, the Federal Aviation Administration reported. Five people were aboard. The helicopter went down just after 7:50 p.m. PDT, shortly after takeoff, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said, and was found in 218 feet of water. The third person killed had been missing while divers searched for nearly 24 hours, CBS News reported. The cause of the crash was not immediately clear.

Family members identified the third victim as Catalina Hernandez, 45, of Avalon, KNBC-4 News reported. Hernandez was being flown to a hospital after she ate shrimp and suffered an allergic reaction, family members told the station. She moved to the United States from Mexico 26 years ago with a sister, and she had three children. Her son was flying with Hernandez and the medical team when the helicopter went down; he suffered broken bones and was treated at a hospital, the family told KNBC.

The two other people killed were the helicopter’s pilot and a nurse. The L.A. County Medical Examiner identified the nurse as Jessica Devries, 48. Another crew member was recovering at a hospital, a REACH spokesperson said.

The helicopter had been based at the Oceanside Fire Department’s training center for more than 10 years, and Chief Jessamyn Specht said Thursday that the department had known the crew for a long time. “It’s a gut punch,” Specht said. “To hear it hit so close to home, it hurt.”

L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn, who represents Catalina Island, posted on X: “I have been informed that a medevac helicopter leaving Catalina Island has crashed shortly after takeoff,” she said. “L.A. County Fire, Sheriff, Coast Guard, and Avalon Fire are on the scene. Search and rescue operations are underway and I am praying for everyone who was on board.”

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.