Dr. Luis Bonilla and Dr. David Hines Killed in Helicopter Crash
Dr. Luis Bonilla and Dr. David Hines were killed in a Palatka, Florida helicopter crash early this morning. Both men are Mayo Clinic doctors who were flying to deliver a heart to a transplant patient. Unfortunately, the donor heart was also lost and the transplant patient has been put back on a waiting list. (Video credit: ABC News)
(Video credit: ABC News)It is also important to mention that Dr. Bonilla and Dr. Hines were not alone. The helicopter pilot was also killed. His loss is equally as tragic.
(Photo Credit: Mayo Clinic and Kare11 News)
As the child of an SICU nurse mom and a neurosurgeon stepfather, this particular case resonates with me on a very personal level. Im not only bothered by the fact that three lives were lost, but the manner in which they were lost.
Namely, these three men, Dr. Luis Bonilla, Dr. David Hines, and the helicopter pilot were all engaged in a life saving mission. Their work was both honorable and benevolent in nature. To see them lose their lives doing this type of work strikes a chord and is nothing short of complete tragedy.
Not to mention the fact that the death of these doctors includes the loss of highly skilled, extremely specialized medical professionals. There is no doubt in my mind that these men would have continued to save lives, had they been given the opportunity to live longer.
This case is a real loss all around. It is loss for the men, it is a loss for the families, and it is a loss for the community and the patients they served.
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