Experts are putting an emphasis on the safety of medical flight crews after an incident earlier this week.
Sheriff’s deputies in Columbia County say the pilot of UW Med Flight helicopter couldn’t land to pick up a crash victim after someone shined a laser pointer in their eyes.
Pam Whitt-Hillen is a flight nurse for ThedaStar. She says she and her co-workers have had similar incidents but have been lucky that they haven’t been hurt so far. She says it can affect vision immediately, or even be a bit delayed.
Medical helicopter pilots wear night vision goggles and that can intensify the light from laser pointers and cause injury. Witt-Hillen says flights cut the transport time to hospitals in half and can be the difference between life and death.
Shining lasers at an aircraft is a federal crime.
