Community members, law enforcement officials, and representatives from North Memorial Emergency Services gathered in Baxter last night for a vigil for the victims of the North Memorial Air Care Helicopter Crash that occurred last Friday.

About 200 people filled Whipple Beach to pray for the surviving crew member, as well as the two who lost their lives in the crash. The North Memorial Air Care Helicopter crashed at about 1 AM last Friday at Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport.

Acquaintances say Josh Duda remains in critical condition at North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale with broken bones, but is expected to survive. The two others on board the chopper, pilot Tim McDonald and Nurse Deb Schott, were killed in the crash.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash.

By — Nathan Green