Katie Lowe survived a helicopter crash during the popular off-roading race in Mexico called the Baja 500.

Lowe was flying in the chase helicopter when it crashed during a refueling incident.

Katie is deeply grateful everyone survived and for everyone who helped them along the way.  

As a team air medic for the Baja 500 race, Katie Lowe never thought her crew would be in need of medical assistance.

“Unfortunately, we were the ones that got injured,” Katie Lowe said.

“There were strong winds,” Edwin Lopez who witnessed the crash said. “I believe that played a huge factor in them spinning.”

Edward Lopez runs the helicopter fueling base. He watched from the ground as the disaster unfolded.

“They just went up in the air again and that’s when we noticed the spinning going on and them hitting the ground,” Lopez said.

Katie said as the helicopter was swept up, she looked to brace herself.  

“I just have never felt that before, not knowing whether or not I was going to live or die so it was pretty scary and I’m just grateful to be alive.” Katie said. “I felt like I couldn’t take a deep breath because or catch my breath because every breath I took was so severe.”

Lopez remembers the helicopter crashing to the ground and rolling over. Upon seeing the pilot bleeding from his head, she said her medical instincts kicked in.

“But once I clicked out, I landed on my hands and knees and I went to try to go over towards him and the pain in my back was just so severe,” Katie said.

“As that’s happening, we’re already running towards them,” Edward Lopez said.

Lopez was among the rescue team that pulled them to safety.

Once they turned off the engine, they pulled both of them out of the helicopter. Katie and the pilot were both flown back to Brownfield Airport where her husband Mike was waiting for her.

“We’re incredibly grateful for everything that everyone did to take care of her and get her home,” Lowe said.

Katie sustained compression fractures to her T7 and T8 vertebrae, along with a rotator cuff tear, and a labrum tear.

The pilot also sustained a laceration in his forehead and a broken nose.

Katie said they’ve been checking in on each other every day.

“I just feel lucky to be alive,” Lowe said.

Katie said the cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Katie said she’s overwhelmed with the love and support she’s received from friends and the community.

Now she’s focused on getting an adjustable bed to begin her road to recovery and she said any help from the community would be much appreciated.

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The crew of the Coast Guard Forrest Rednour caught 17 suspected migrants aboard a panga-style vessel about 10 miles off Sunset Cliffs Sunday.

At around 1:18 a.m., the Sector San Diego Joint Harbor Operations Center watch standers received notification from a Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento HC-130 Hercules aircrew of a vessel near the southwest of Point Loma.

The team found 17 suspected migrants abroad, claiming Mexican nationality and one unaccompanied minor claiming Guatemalan nationality.

They were later transferred to U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations for transport to Ballast Point, where they were taken into U.S. Border Patrol custody.

OCEAN BEACH, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — A San Diego man is warning other dog owners after a recent trip to Dog Beach landed his pup in the emergency room with meth exposure.

Luckily, that pup is doing just fine now, but only after being rushed to the hospital, where his owner spent around $1,000 in vet bills.

“It was like a 30-hour ordeal. He had sedatives seven times and even on sedatives, he is just going crazy. He had to be held down,” said Justin Voeller.

It’s a day at Dog Beach in Ocean Beach Voeller will never forget. For his four-legged friend, Angus, it could’ve ended his life. 

Late Tuesday morning, the 8-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was doing what he always does at Dog Beach — playing by the water. Then a quick dash towards the dunes. 

“When we got him, he was sniffing some feces, so we grabbed him away from that. Took him home everything seemed fine at first,” said Voeller.

Angus’ pupils were dilated and he couldn’t hold still so Voeller rushed him to the ER. 

“He already had a fever of almost 107, and they said that they were worried that he was going to get so hot that he would fry his little brain,” said Voeller as he described the ordeal.

Then a drug test proved his suspicion. “He tested positive for methamphetamine,” said Voeller.

Dr. Danielle Clem with the San Diego Humane Society said quick action offers the best chance of survival. “Some of these symptoms can progress to death, and so that would be the ultimate consequence, but they could even cause permanent damage. These drugs can sometimes affect the nervous system, the heart,” she said.

Clem added that while it’s not something they see often, it’s not unheard of, and while immediate medical care is best, some overdose reversal medications are safe. 

“Narcan is effective in dogs just as it is in humans, but depending on the toxin, it may not be effective,” said Clem.

Meanwhile, Voeller wants other dog owners to be alert after seeing social media chatter of a similar incident the same day.

“I saw the post though on OB Social and that’s how I knew someone else was dealing with it so that makes us want to stay away for a while,” said Voeller.

He also noticed something else in the comments he believes deserves attention. 

“Over 300 comments, and I think a lot of the angst was directed at the unhoused population here, which is unfortunate. There’s so many times when people want and need help and they’re turned away because there’s no available place for them at the time so it’s something that the city needs to address,” said Voeller.

Clem said pet owners can help keep animals safe by staying aware of their surroundings, keeping dogs leashed and reinforcing training.