A pilot and three passengers have been hurt when a private helicopter crashed into the side of a canyon during a deer survey in West Texas.
The Brewster County Sheriff's Office says the crash happened Friday afternoon at the Yarborough Ranch, 25 miles south of Alpine.
Sheriff Ronny Dodson said Saturday that the men on board shot some feral hogs. The chopper hit a tree and the side of the canyon while chasing the pigs.
Dodson says two passengers walked 5 miles to summon help. Emergency personnel used four-wheel drive vehicles to reach the scene.
The sheriff says the two men who walked out were treated and released by medical personnel. The pilot and other passenger were transported to a hospital for treatment of injuries not believed to be life-threatening.
___
The story has been corrected to show the crash site was south of Alpine, not Abilene, and the sheriff's first name is spelled Ronny, not Ronnie.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.