Four die in Ontario air ambulance crash

Two paramedics who were on board a helicopter that crashed Friday in northern Ontario died doing the work they were called to do — helping others in need, family and friends said Friday.

Chris Snowball, 38, had his sights set on a career as a medical aid from the time he was a teen, said his father John.

But his 19-year career came to a tragic end just after midnight Friday when the Ornge air ambulance helicopter he was flying in crashed in a remote area, killing three other colleagues.

Fellow paramedic Dustin Dagenais of Moose Factory, Ont., Capt. Don Filliter of Skead, Ont., and First Officer Jacques Dupuy of Otterburn-Park, Que. were all killed while on their way to pick up a patient in the flyin First Nations community of Attawapiskat.

John Snowball said his son had long aspired to work for Ornge despite the scandal that’s engulfed the organization over a criminal probe of financial irregularities.

Chris landed a series of three-month contracts, but was recently delighted to learn he would be beginning a year-long post in Thunder Bay, Ont., John Snowball said.

The Transportation Safety Board is investigating what brought down the helicopter, with the assistance of the Ontario Provincial Police.

A sombre Rob Giguere, Ornge’s chief operating officer, said the investigation could take a “lengthy period of time,” but Ornge will help as much as it can.

“We don’t have any indication at this point at what caused the accident,” he said.

Ornge has grounded two of the six Sikorsky S76 helicopters in its fleet “out of an abundance of caution,” he said at a news conference.

Giguere said the 33-yearold helicopter made a “normal departure” at the Moosonee airport before it went down.