Justice of the Peace, Jamie Richardson, performed an inquest at the scene.
Helicopter Crash Takes Life of Livingston Man, LIVINGSTON, December 30, 2021 - At approximately 12:50 pm on December 30, 2021, a local man and his two sons were passengers in a helicopter flying over some property off Galloway Lane (a few miles south of Livingston off US-146). The men (George Daniel King, 54, of Livingston, and his two sons, Braydon and Brockton) were reportedly looking at some property. The helicopter was a 2001 Bell Model 206B, and piloted by John Randolph Martin, 73, of Montgomery County. Preliminarily, the helicopter is believed to have had a mechanical failure causing it to plunge back to earth. The helicopter struck a tree as it was coming down. Sadly, George King was killed during impact. His two sons were both transported by ambulance to CHI Livingston Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The pilot, John Martin, was flown from a nearby landing zone to Houston in critical condition. Justice of the Peace, Jamie Richardson, performed an inquest at the scene. Troopers Donny Akers and Kevin Burman with the Texas Highway Patrol initiated a preliminary investigation that will be handed over the Federal Aviation Administration for further investigation. Additionally, the Polk County Sheriff's Office and the Livingston Volunteer Fire Department were summoned to the scene. A first-call car from Cochran Funeral Home transported King from the scene. This accident remains under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The 2001 Bell 206B Helicopter crashed on property directly behind King's house. EDITOR'S NOTE: When we arrived on the scene, a police tape line was already put up and this was as close as we were allowed to get to the crash site.
The pilot, 73 year old John Randolph Martin, of Montgomery County, was transported by ambulance to a nearby landing zone and flown to Houston in critical condition.
A first-call car from Cochran Funeral Home transported Danny King from the scene.
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