ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) — Hundreds of mourners gathered to remember a pilot and two nurses killed in a northern Illinois medical helicopter crash.
The memorial was Wednesday at Rock Valley College in Rockford for 65-year-old pilot Andy Olesen and nurses, 48-year-old Karen Hollis and 40-year-old Jim Dillow. The three died Dec. 10 when the helicopter crashed in a field after encountering bad weather. The pilot and nurses were headed back to the hangar after abandoning a trip to retrieve a patient.
Rockford Mayor Larry Morrissey told mourners the three are heroes and "will be remembered." The service included bagpipers and speeches from other flight nurses. Three white flight helmets stood as a memorial.
Outside an American flag hung from a Rockford Fire Department truck.
