Friends and Co-workers Mourn Loss of Nurse Killed in Helicopter Crash
JACKSON, Tenn.– Friends and former co-workers of registered nurse Carrie Barlow who was one of the three medical workers who died in Tuesday’s medical helicopter crash, said she went above and beyond for her patients. Friends said Barlow has worked as a nurse in West Tennessee for 13 years. Before she joined the pediatric-flight team at LeBonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, they said she touched hundreds of lives while working in Neonatal Intensive Care at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital. “I was a first time mom and had no idea what I was doing and I was scared to death because my baby had been rushed to NICU at 3:30 in the morning,” former patient Meghan Peace said. “I had no idea what was wrong with her but she was right there gave me the support I needed and told me everything was going to be okay.” Former co-workers said Barlow had a natural passion for helping others. Being a mother of three, they said she loved working with children. “When you take a baby away from their family you are going to cherish them and take care of them as your own and you relay that with the family and you know she was perfect at it,” friend Wendy Moore said. Fayette County investigators said the medical helicopter crashed about a mile and a half into a wooded area near Somerville. Nurse Barlow along with respiratory rherapist Denise Adams and pilot Charles Smith all died from their injuries. Officials said the team was making their way to pick up a patient in Bolivar. Former neonatal guardians said Barlow went above and beyond to build hope and strength in some of the most desperate medical emergencies. “I received a call one day while I was NICU with the baby and she took the call she knew it was a call that I didn’t want to hear,” Lamyrle Jones said. “She stood there with me while I heard the call and had her arms around me.” “She was just an amazing person who had a love for life and children and all the people around her and she truly loved with she did,” said Peace.” Although flames and ashy debris are all that remain of the helicopter, friends said Barlow’s legacy will live on in the hundreds of lives and hearts she has helped heal. “It’s too many to count and that’s a blessing and that’s something that will never be forgotten,” Moore said. Former patients said not only was Barlow very passionate about her work as a nurse, she often kept in touch with several of her patients, keeping them and their families in her prayers. Dozens of former patients and co-workers here in West Tennessee said they are praying for all of the families devastated by the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are assisting in the investigation.
