PALM RIVER, Fla. — One person is dead following a helicopter crash in Palm River, Florida, Thursday afternoon.
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, a helicopter suffered a catastrophic engine failure and made a hard landing on a busy street a little before 2:30 p.m.
After the hard landing, one of the rotor blades came off, hitting a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck that was carrying a man and his son. The rotor blade hit the father who was inside the truck, killing him at the scene.
Deputies said the son, who was driving the truck, was transported to Tampa General Hospital. Officials did not specify his condition.
Authorities have not released the father and son's identities.
FHP said no other injuries were reported in the incident. Traffic around the crash will be closed as troopers investigate this deadly incident.
According to deputies, the two people in the helicopter were highly trained pilots and had recently been in for service. The helicopter was on its way to Sarasota before pieces of blades fell off.
FlightAware tracking shows the path the helicopter took and where it crashed.
