When the only ambulance is a helicopter

Butte is an old mining town tucked in the southwest corner of Montana with a population of about 34,000. Locals enjoy many things you can't find elsewhere—campgrounds a quick drive from downtown and gorgeous mountain ranges nearby. But in Butte, as in much of rural America, advanced medical care is absent. People in Butte who experience serious trauma or need specialty care rely on flights—air ambulances—to get them the help they need. There were close to 3,000 air ambulance flights in Montana last year. And Amy Thomson of Butte was on one of them.