Kristin McLain, a 46-year-old nurse who was part of a team that rescued a woman from a hiking trail in Barton Creek Greenbelt, Austin, Texas, died on the scene on Monday after she fell off the hoist of the medical helicopter they were using for rescue.
STAR Flight has not released any information as to why McLain fell off the hoist. Lisa Block, spokeswoman for Travis County Emergency Services, also had very few details to share about the incident.
The hoist is an arm that extends off the helicopter that allows rescuers to direct a carrier to a patient.
Block said each STAR Flight helicopter usually carries a pilot, a hoist operator and a nurse or other rescuer, the third of which would usually use a harness, the Associated Press reported.
The company has voluntarily stopped its operations for an indefinite time while it does a thorough investigation of what happened and conduct security checks on its systems and equipment to prevent future accidents. After all, safety is its priority, as Block expressed.
The National Transportation Safety Board will also investigate the accident.
STAR Flight said the rescued woman, who was not identified, was taken to University Medical Center-Brackenridge in Austin.
McLain was originally from Colorado and worked in STAR Flight for seven years.
