Rock Rapids, IA (northwestiowanow.com) — Nobody was injured when a medical helicopter enroute from Spirit Lake to Sioux Falls had to set down unexpectedly in rural Lyon County Sunday night. The incident occurred around 6:19 when scanner traffic indicates they collided with a bird that damaged the Rotar and windshield. The pilot was able to safety land on a patch of grass North of Rock Rapids.

That timeline matches an accident report from Dickinson County in which Marianella Gomez of Estherville received incapacitant injuries Sunday afternoon East of Spirit Lake and was transferred from Lakes Regional Healthcare to Avera in Sioux Falls.

The helicopter is owned and operated by Life Flight out of Fort Dodge. It is protocol for the transporting agency to provide medical personnel so no employees of Lakes Regional Healtcare were onboard.