Aero Med helicopter downdraft damages Muskegon vehicle in freak accident

MUSKEGON, MI – Aero Med helicopters based out of Grand Rapids are often flown to the scene of vehicle accidents, but rarely are the helicopters themselves the cause of one.

However, police believe the helicopter was the cause of a freak accident in the parking lot at Mercy Health Partners Hackley Hospital in Muskegon. 

The incident was reported at 1:54 p.m. on Thursday in a parking lot at 1700 Clinton St. in Muskegon.

According to a Muskegon Police Department report, a downdraft from the rotors of the helicopter caused the trunk of a vehicle parked in the lot to fly open.

The trunk lid then flew back and smashed the back window of the vehicle, police said.

No one was injured during the incident. The vehicle was empty at the time, police said.

Mercy Health Partners Public Relations and Communications Manager Joan Kessler said she’s never heard of such an incident occurring at the hospital.

“We never had anything like that happen before in the past,” she said.

Kessler said it hasn’t yet been determined as to who is liable for the man’s vehicle damages.

The car belonged to someone who worked at the hospital, according to a Spectrum Health hospital official. Spectrum Health owns Aero Med.