Chase Cortier, much like Jason Knox, is a hero and he deserves to be praised.
Today we tip our hats to both of these brave men; one of them sacrificed his health & the other gave his life to make Texas a safer place.
The condition of the Houston police officer injured in Saturday’s deadly helicopter crash has been upgraded from critical to serious, Memorial Hermann Hospital spokeswoman Natasha Barrett said Sunday.
Chase Cormier, the helicopter pilot, underwent long hours of surgery on Saturday. Friends say his injuries included a broken back, broken ribs and a concussion. Joe Gamaldi, head of the Houston Police Officers Union, said he is improving but “still has a long road of recovery ahead of him.”
The crash early Saturday morning in Greenspoint killed Jason Knox, a respected officer who last year fulfilled his goal of joining the department’s Air and Marine Division.
Cormier’s wife, Brooke Cormier, wrote a heartfelt Facebook post Sunday about an encounter at the hospital with Knox’s wife, Keira, a Cypress-Fairbanks Fire Department dispatcher.
“While her entire world crumbled around her in the matter of minutes, she still had the compassion and kindness to actually look for ME before she left the hospital,” according to a portion of the post. “She wanted to find me to hug me tightly and let me know how hard she was praying for my husband’s recovery and we just both cried hysterically together. I have no words. I just am completely rocked by the selflessness that she showed during the absolute worst time in her life. “
Around 2 a.m. Saturday, Knox and Cormier were flying over Greenspoint searching for a body in a bayou when the helicopter spiraled out of control. The aircraft careened into an apartment complex clubhouse, becoming the first fatal helicopter crash in HPD history.