A family requested prayers after a young relative was pinned under a wrecked helicopter in Huntington Beach, California.
The Oct. 11 crash injured five people, among them an 11-year-old boy named Oliver Holland, KTLA-TV in Los Angeles reported Monday.
“Oliver was enjoying a day at the beach when suddenly a helicopter malfunctioned and came crashing down on him,” a family GoFundMe page read. “He is currently in the hospital receiving surgery; he has a collapsed lung and brain bleed. We are praying for a safe recovery and we can’t really say anything else.”
The family of an 11-year-old boy injured in the Oct. 11 helicopter crash in Huntington Beach has identified him as Oliver Holland, describing him as “the smartest, funniest boy” they know as he recovers from serious injuries. Details and GoFundMe: https://t.co/N7vIv6ayBh pic.twitter.com/r8sKC3iX2I
— KTLA (@KTLA) October 21, 2025
The accident occurred around 2 p.m. that day.
Footage showed the aircraft spinning wildly before crashing into a building and some trees.
At one point, the rotor detached from the tail.
Shocking video shows the moment a Bell 222 helicopter crashes in Huntington Beach, California, on Saturday, leaving five people hospitalized.
Law enforcement responded around 2 p.m. to reports of a helicopter going down in a beach parking lot between Twin Dolphins Drive and… pic.twitter.com/QLG6AuYGfv
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) October 12, 2025
The video showed helpful bystanders rushing toward the Bell 222 helicopter the moment after it impacted.
Another clip appears to show Holland pinned under the aircraft.
A a 1980 Bell 222SP helicopter (N222EX) crashed near the Pacific Coast Highway and Huntington Street in Huntington Beach, California, on Saturday, October 11, 2025.#Helicopter_Crash #California pic.twitter.com/TSxeC5KY3f
— Gokhan Karalar M.D. (@gokhankaralar) October 12, 2025
Besides Holland, two other people on the ground were injured, along with the aircraft’s two occupants, according to CBS News.
🚨 JUST IN: A helicopter has CRASHED in Huntington Beach, CA, narrowly missing beachgoers
Casualties unknown
Pray for those on board 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/pFnm5QKAOE
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) October 11, 2025
“We don’t know what is going to happen,” the GoFundMe appeal said. “Oliver was the smartest, funniest boy I have ever known. I pray for my brother and a safe recovery.”
In an Oct. 12 post, the family shared an optimistic update.
“[Oliver’s] conditions seem to be getting better. Doctors cannot say much due to it still being in the early stages but we are hopeful,” the update read.
The helicopter was part of the Cars and Copters event, which, before the crash, was scheduled to occur the next day, according to the Huntington Beach Police Department.
Despite broken ribs and some crushed vertebrae, the pilot of the aircraft, Eric Nixon of Redlands, California, is expected to recover, according to KTLA.
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