DPS medic killed by helicopter blade

DPS medic killed by helicopter blade
by Kevin Curran - Oct. 13, 2008 07:16 PM
12 News

A veteran medic for the Arizona Dept. of Public Safety was killed during a mountain rescue near Sedona Monday afternoon.

A DPS helicopter team had been called to Bear Mountain to rescue two stranded hikers about 3:15.

One of the hikers had gotten aboard the helicopter. As Officer Bruce Harrolle was escorting the second patient into the chopper, he was struck by one of the helicopter's rotor blades and fatally injured.

Both hikers were flown to safety.

Investigators from the DPS, Yavapai County Sheriff's Office and National Transportation Safety Board are conducting a probe into the accident.

Harrolle was 36 years old and had been with DPS for nine years. He is survived by a wife, two children and his parents.

It has been more than eight years since DPS experienced a line of duty death.

I'm not condemning the hikers who needed rescue--I don't know the specifics so maybe they were injured or in some other unavoidable situation--but I bet they feel terrible. And if they acted stupidly to end up in need of rescue, they should feel terrible.

A sad case. Another hero lost.