A rising number of medical helicopter crashes has local hospitals taking a long hard look at safety.

On June 8, a medical helicopter crashed moments after taking off from a hospital in Huntsville on a flight to Houston.

The pilot, a nurse, a paramedic and the patient all died.

Three of the 1,000 medical helicopters across the country have crashed so far this year, claiming 10 lives.

Two of the crashes happened in Texas.

While the rate of crashes has tripled since the early 90s supporters of the service say the benefits still far outweigh the risks.

The helicopters are considered a critical edge in getting patients to emergency care quickly whether it is from the scene or to another hospital.

"It gives us the ability to decrease the amount of time a patient is outside of a hospital," said Dr. Greenberg of Scott & White's Emergency Services.

"Bad things happen in between hospitals and the farther you are from care."

Air ambulances don't come without a risk and a rising number of crashes have called the use of medical helicopters into question.

Hospitals are now becoming more vigilant, but safety has always been paramount.

"It's one of the few instances that we actually put the patient second," Greenberg said.

"Safety of the crewmembers, safety of the aircraft and where it's landing is above what we look at for the care of the patient."

Some trauma specialists claim ground ambulances often get patients to hospitals just as fast as helicopters, but in rural areas, emergency care can be a long drive away. That's where services such as Stat Air come into play.

"Not only does it cut down on time, it gives communities increased access to a higher level of care in many instances," Greenberg said.

In most cases, traveling by helicopter is twice as fast.

On average Stat Air flies three to five missions a day, along with other services flying in patients or more advanced care.

"There are many, many flights and very few crashes," Greenberg said.

"The reason it's such a big thing and why it hit the national news is because it doesn't happen very often."

The number of crashes can be partly attributed to a total increase in air ambulances.

The benefit of having one is viewed as being so critical that the hospitals that suffered the recent losses are hoping to get their helicopter service back up and running soon.