Update: Monday, November 16
We've learned the identities of the four people involved in a helicopter crash south of Alpine Friday evening.
Brewster County Sheriff Ronny Dodson says the pilot, 30-year-old David Yerby, was one of the two severely injured people, along with 35-year-old Speck Martin, who was riding in the front passenger seat.
The two back passengers who escaped the crash without major injuries were 36-year-old Cody Wood, one of the ranch managers at the Y-Bar Ranch where the crash took place, and 58-year-old Darrell Lambert.
Yerby and Martin were flown out of the region to receive higher-level care. Martin was last reported to have been operated on Saturday at a hospital in Odessa. Other reports said the two were both in critical condition as of Saturday night.
Wood and Lambert were treated and released from the Alpine hospital.
Sheriff Dodson says the four were conducting a survey of deer on the ranch when they came across some hogs and decided to hunt a few. He says when the helicopter went down when they turned back toward the hogs after first spotting and shooting a couple of them.
Original Post: Friday, November 13
A helicopter crashed about 25 miles south of Alpine on Friday evening (November 13). Emergency vehicles began streaming south from Alpine along Highway 118 during the 5 PM hour. The crash location is reportedly at the Y-Bar Ranch, west of the Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Area.
According to Brewster County officials, four people were involved in the crash, and two sustained injuries serious enough to be transported by ambulance into Alpine.
Travis Bubenik contributed reporting.