POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – New video shows the aftermath of Monday’s deadly Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue helicopter crash in Pompano Beach after the chopper crashed down onto an apartment building, killing two people.
Sky 10 flew over the scene Tuesday morning as crews appeared to use a large crane to pull the mangled wreckage out.
The chopper was barely recognizable, but its rotors were still visible.
The crash was captured on cellphone video Monday morning.
The rescue chopper started spinning when its tail broke off, causing it to fall onto the apartments on Northwest 10th Street and Dixie Highway, sparking a massive fire.
Onboard was 50-year-old Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue Capt. Terryson Jackson — a 19-year-veteran who would die in the crash, along with a woman who was in the apartment below.
Local 10 News has been able to confirm through relatives that the woman who lost her life in that home was 65-year-old Lurean Wheaton.
Her family has been devastated by the tragedy.
Jackson’s siblings remembered his life, saying he died doing what he loved.
“He wanted to serve people, and he died serving people. So he’s a hero to me,” Javer Jackson said.
In a video posted several years ago, Jackson spoke about his job and how rewarding it was.
“It helps me sleep better at night knowing that during that time, I can be there for them,” he said.
To honor him, Capt. Jackson was posthumously promoted to the rank of battalion chief on Tuesday as members of the Broward Commission paused before their meeting to pay their respects.
Two other crew members, 37-year-old pilot Daron Roche and 31-year-old Mike Chaguaceda, were also in the chopper.
The two managed to crawl out of the burning wreckage. Cellphone video shows them on the roof of the apartment with residents later helping them down.
They, along with two brothers on the ground who tried to help them, were taken to Broward Health North for treatment.
The 24 year old duel-engine Eurocoper - used by Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue for trauma transports - departed from the Pompano Beach Air Park at 8:42 a.m. headed to North Lauderdale, where surveillance video showed that a car struck a young boy and his mother while they were standing at a bus stop, but the crew would have to cancel.
Flight Radar 24 shows the helicopter making it just west of I-95 before turning back and ultimately crashing near Dixie Highway and Northwest 10th Street, just three blocks from the airport and less than 3 minutes after takeoff.
“We’re having mechanical issues while in-flight. We are headed back to our station -- you’re going to have to ground transport,” the medics are heard telling dispatch.
Investigators are now working to find out what exactly went wrong as the Broward County sheriff sent this message to residents.
“We are going to suffer, we are going to hurt, but this community should know we are prepared to answer the next call,” Sheriff Gregory Tony said Monday.
Tony also told reporters that he had known Jackson personally for over 14 years and that Jackson had been with the agency for 19 years.
“Terryson was a rock star. He was one of the best of us, one of the brightest. He bled this profession inside and out all day long,” the sheriff said. “There’s almost 6,000 people in this agency. I’m not going to meet everybody and I haven’t, but that man I knew. I knew very well. And the type of effort and commitment he had for this community – impeccable.”