A Bountiful couple and two men were injured in a single-engine plane crash Sunday 30 yards from the Sanpete Valley Hospital in Mt. Pleasant.
The plane, which crash landed in a hospital parking lot, narrowly missed the hospital's oxygen and propane tanks. Fuel was leaking from the plane, which hospital officials feared would be ignited by arcing power lines, severed by the crashing plane, said hospital administrator George Winn."It really is amazing. The makings of a much worse disaster were there," said Winn.
Victims told hospital workers the plane had engine problems and would not gain altitude so the pilot attempted to land the craft without hitting the rural hospital. Hospital employees rushed to the crash site and moved the injured into the hospital. The accident occurred about 8:20 p.m.
By happenstance, two physicians, two teams of nurses and emergency medical technicians were in the hospital when the accident occurred, attending to other trauma victims. Ordinarily, there is one doctor and a single team of nurses scheduled for duty.
Passenger Karen Blauer, 25, of Bountiful was in stable condition at Sanpete Valley Hospital Monday morning, under observation for a concussion. Winn said Blauer, who is pregnant, was in good condition and may be released from the hospital later in the day.
Her husband, Jared Blauer, 25, was transferred to Utah Valley Medical Center, treated in the emergency room and released.
The pilot, Tracy Woodbury, 28, Logan, and passenger Randall Larsen, 33, Spanish Fork also were transferred to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, Winn said. Larsen was treated at the Provo hospital and released; Woodbury was in serious condition in intensive care Monday morning.
The plane crashed moments after departing nearby Mount Pleasant Airport, which is located one mile from the hospital.
Power was out at the facility at least four hours, Winn said. Hospital employees used flashlights and a reserve generator until power was restored.