Autopsies: Duke Life Flight crash victims died on impact
At least two of the four people killed in a September crash of a Duke Life Flight medical helicopter died on impact and not from the fire that engulfed the aircraft after the crash, according to autopsy reports obtained by WRAL News.
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The autopsies of Sollinger and Bartlett showed both women suffered extensive burns, but the cause of death in both cases was listed as blunt force trauma.
"Appears aircraft had a hard landing on crash, with what appears to be aircraft roof collapse, which would have resulted in decedents receiving significant blunt force trauma," medical examiners wrote in both autopsy reports.
Bartlett's body couldn't even be removed from the wreckage until the following day because she was underneath the helicopter engine and transmission, her autopsy report states.
WRAL News hasn't yet received the autopsy reports for Burke and Harrison.
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