PARAMEDIC REMEMBERED: First Of Two Services Held

The first of two funeral services were held for a northern Iowa paramedic killed in a helicopter crash.

Forty-eight-year old Russell Piehl was one of three people aboard a Mercy North helicopter when it crashed near Ventura.

A funeral service was held in his hometown of Forest City on Tuesday. Another service will be held Wednesday afternoon in Denver, IA, where Piehl grew up.

Family members say Piehl gave his life doing what he loved, working as a paramedic and saving lives.

Authorities still don’t know the cause of the helicopter crash.

On Monday, Nurse Shelly Lair-Langenbau was laid to rest.

The final victim, pilot Gene Grell, will be remembered over the weekend in his native San Antonio, TX.