A victim of a motor vehicle accident was airlifted by a New Mexico National Guard helicopter from Jemez to the University of New Mexico Hospital on Tuesday.

The patient suffered a broken leg when the vehicle went off a cliff in the Jemez wilderness area near US 550.  Paramedics on scene requested airlift to expedite treatment.  The paramedics moved the patient to a landing area and prepared the patient for evacuation by helicopter.

The New Mexico National Guard dispatched a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from Santa Fe.  The crew arrived on scene at 2:30 p.m., placed the patient on board and took off in 10 minutes.  The crew arrived at Johnson Field at 3 p.m. and transferred the patient to a waiting ambulance.  The ambulance transported the patient to University of New Mexico Hospital for evaluation and treatment.

The New Mexico National Guard crew refueled their helicopter at Cutter Aviation in Albuquerque before returning to the Guard’s Army Aviation Support Facility in Santa Fe.

New Mexico National Guard helicopter crews regularly respond to search-and-rescue requests from partner-agency first responders.