Dad Tried to Keep Daughter 'Calm' as Helicopter Plunged 500 Feet to Ground. After Crash, She Asked, 'Are You Alive?'

Dad Tried to Keep Daughter 'Calm' as Helicopter Plunged 500 Feet to Ground. After Crash, She Asked, 'Are You Alive?'

“It really is my worst nightmare,” said Baylee Demars of the crash that nearly killed her dad and sister

Sam Gillette

Fri, January 23, 2026 at 10:37 PM UTC

4 min read

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GoFundMe Oaklee Toone — GoFundMe
Oaklee Toone

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A dad fought to keep his daughter "calm" as the helicopter they were riding on plunged nearly 500 feet to the ground in Wasatch County, Utah, earlier this week
All four people on board survived, but the young woman, Oaklee Toone, suffered a head injury
"It really is my worst nightmare," Toone's sister Baylee Demars said of learning about the crash

A father comforted his daughter as the helicopter they were riding in plummeted almost 500 feet to the ground in Utah over the weekend, the family says.

All four people onboard survived, but the young woman was airlifted in critical condition.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Baylee Demars told NBC affiliate KSL of learning that her dad, Kory Toone, and sister, Oaklee Toone, had been in a chopper crash on Sunday, Jan. 18.

“It really is my worst nightmare,” Demars said.

That Sunday afternoon, around 3:10 p.m. local time, a Bell 206L carrying four people crashed near a highway in Wasatch County, the Federal Aviation Administration confirms to PEOPLE.

Local officials received a report of the crash and were able to locate the helicopter 100 yards off State Road 35, the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

“One individual sustained critical injury and was transported by AirMed to a hospital for treatment of a head injury,” authorities said. “The remaining occupants were evaluated at the scene.”

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading an ongoing investigation. A spokesperson for the agency says that the on-scene phase of the investigation is complete and a preliminary report is expected by next month.

A final report is expected within one to two years.

The crash landing brought an abrupt end to a fun outing for the Toones and their close friends — the pilot and his wife – KSL reported.

Kory had started recording the flight on his cell phone and the video captured both him and Oaklee smiling.

But as the helicopter later began to spin out of the pilot’s control, careening to the ground, the dad dropped his phone, according to KSL.

The recording continued, and Demars was later able to listen to the audio that was captured before the helicopter crashed near Wolf Creek Campground.

“Something you got to know about my dad is he’s a rock,” Demars told KSL. “Hearing him coach my sister through that and keep her calm, they both think they’re about to die, and he’s keeping her calm.”

Wasatch County Sheriff's Office/Facebook The helicopter crash in Wasatch County, Utah, on Jan. 18. — Wasatch County Sheriff's Office/Facebook
The helicopter crash in Wasatch County, Utah, on Jan. 18.

At the end of the recording, Demars said she could hear Oaklee call out to their dad, “I’m alive. I’m alive. Dad, are you alive?”

“He responded back and that was music to my ears,” Demars told the outlet. “I was just so happy to hear that they could talk.”

Nearby snowmobilers, one of whom was a nurse, witnessed the aircraft's descent and assisted the passengers until first responders arrived.

Kory is now healing from serious chest injuries, and his daughter hit her head, KSL reported.

GoFundMe Oaklee Toone was airlifted to a nearby hospital following the Jan. 18 crash. — GoFundMe
Oaklee Toone was airlifted to a nearby hospital following the Jan. 18 crash.

Demars credited the pilot for helping save everyone on board.

All four people are now out of the hospital, which she said is a “miracle,” KSL reported. Even so, her sister has a long recovery ahead of her, prompting Demars to launch a GoFundMe.

“She works tirelessly to provide for herself and this head injury will prevent her from income for some time,” Demars wrote with the fundraiser. “The upcoming cost of her AirMed and medical bills are certainly stressful for her.”

As the family heals, they’re grateful they have more time together.

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“The thing you experience when you think you’re about to die is you’re not thinking about your possessions,” Demars told KSL. “You’re thinking about people, your family, your friends, your loved ones.”

She added, “My dad expressed that that was what was running through his mind."

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