The five survivors of the Black Hawk crash were sent to the emergency room at Tri-Service General Hospital. Hospital officials say the five are in extremely stable condition right now. In particular, Lieutenant General Huang Yu-min suffered a compression fracture to his thoracic spine and lumbar spine while Military News Agency reporter Chen Ying-chu is under observation for a possibly crushed foot in the intensive care unit.
Chen Ying-chu was the first person on board the Black Hawk to reach out after the crash, asking for help on Line. Apart from a 4-centimeter cut to her face, Chen suffered minor fractures to her lumbar spine and right leg and a possibly crushed left foot. She is currently in the ICU. Another one of the five survivors, Lieutenant General Huang Yu-min, is also in the ICU and will require physical therapy for his injuries.
He has fractures from T7 to T10 on the right side of his thoracic vertebra. The sides of his lungs are also slightly bruised. However, he doesn't appear to have sustained any injuries to his extremities and his cognitive and respiratory functions are stable.
The other three survivors are in stable condition. Major General Liu Hsiao-tang has minor fractures and bruises, while Lieutenant General Tsao Chin-ping only has a few scrapes and bruises. Hospital officials say all five are alert and mentally stable, but counselors will be made available to them to help them deal with the mental and emotional trauma of the crash.
They all lost consciousness temporarily during the crash, so their memories of the crash are a little fuzzy. They haven't been able to explain in detail what happened yet.
Hospital officials say Tsao, whose injuries are the most minor, will likely be the first to be able to go home but there is no timetable. President Tsai Ing-wen and Premier Su Tseng-chang have visited the survivors and promised them medical, living and professional assistance in the future.