A Sacramento County sheriff's deputy who survived a helicopter crash that killed two fellow deputies gave $250,000 to Mercy San Juan Trauma Center on Tuesday.
Eric Henrikson, 31, credits the facility for saving his life after the July 13, 2005, crash that killed Joseph Kievernagel, 36, and Kevin Blount, 29, as they responded to a burglary call in Folsom.
Henrikson announced the donation alongside his mother, Dee Wilkerson, Mercy San Juan President Brian Ivie and other hospital administration and the surgeons who helped save his life, said Bryan Gardner, a Mercy spokesman.
Henrikson asked that some of the funds be committed to specialized education for trauma nurses, with the remainder to benefit trauma areas with the greatest need.
Last month, Henrikson and families of the deputies killed settled their civil suit against Turbomeca, the French firm accused of supplying a defective part that reportedly caused the crash.
– Niesha Lofing
