Thursday, June 26, 2014

LifeStar medical chopper still grounded; girl says flight saved her life

MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. - A woman who says an air ambulance saved her life is pleading with Martin County to get the helicopter back in the sky.

Ally Zink is a survivor. Her injuries were so severe that doctors gave her little hope of ever walking or riding her horse again.

The 23-year-old broke her neck three years ago in the Stuart Inlet. "I dove off a boat and hit the top of my head and I lost all movement instantly," she said.

Ally credits LifeStar with saving her life and getting her to Longwood Regional Medical Center within the golden hour. "I needed medical attention immediately. I don’t think I would have gotten it without life star," he said.

Life Star has been grounded since January and a CBS 12 investigation found Martin County knew since August of 2013 that Air Methods, the former operator of Life Star would stop flying after January of this year. A county spokesperson told me Thursday that the county has been negotiating with a new vendor to operate life star for more than a year.

Martin County is now relying on air ambulance service from St. Lucie County.

When it's available, firefighters say it could take up to 30 minutes from the time it takes off from its hanger north of Fort Pierce until it arrives on-scene in Martin County.

The county is expected to address this issue in July.

Story and video:   http://www.cbs12.com

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