JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Two employees of the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville who died in a helicopter crash are being remembered as caring medical professionals who loved their work.
Heart surgeon Dr. Luis Bonilla and procurement technician David Hines died Monday when the helicopter carrying them from Jacksonville to Gainesville crashed. They were going to pick up a heart for a transplant in Jacksonville.
Bonilla’s wife tells The Florida Times-Union that the surgeon was a “noble and wonderful man.” He had recently moved to Florida from the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.
Medical staff who worked with Hines called him a mentor in the field of organ recovery and transplantation.
The helicopter pilot, E. Hoke Smith of SK Jets in St. Augustine, also died.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.
Source: Florida Times-Union, Associated Press
