LINN — The Osage County community continues to rally behind the family of Zeb Hoffman after a helicopter crash near Springfield left him and his flight instructor seriously injured.

According to Springfield police, the crash occurred around 11:25 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 21, on the north side of the Cooper Sports Complex, just south of the Springfield Downtown Airport. Hoffman and the other occupant were transported to a local hospital with serious but stable injuries. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the cause of the crash.

During the Osage County Commission’s Oct. 23 meeting, Presiding Commissioner Darryl Griffin informed colleagues that the pilot was the son of 911 Director Ron Hoffman and husband of county health department nurse Kandiss Hoffman. “They crashed, and they’re okay — serious, but they’re stable,” Griffin said, adding that Hoffman suffered a broken jaw and back injury but still managed to help his flight instructor after the crash. “He got out and then lifted that helicopter off that instructor … saved him with a broken jaw and his back broke.”

Griffin called it “a miracle” that both men survived.

County Groundskeeper John Kennedy told commissioners that Hoffman had been in Springfield for helicopter training. “He’s a pilot now, but Conservation was cross-training him into being the helicopter pilot,” Kennedy said.

Commissioners expressed relief that both men were alive. “He’s lucky to walk away,” Griffin said. “Most people don’t get to do that.”

At the commission’s Oct. 30 meeting, Health Department Administrator Kim Sallin provided an update on Hoffman’s recovery. “He had his surgery Tuesday — it was an eight- to 10-hour surgery, and he’s in ICU,” Sallin said. “He had a fracture in his back … he’s got a back brace on, and he’ll have to wear it for six months because that’s not operable. He’s very lucky to be alive.”

She added that the helicopter “fell between 100 and 200 feet.”

Sallin said Kandiss has remained at her husband’s side, continuing to assist the health department remotely when she can. “She’s been logging on, checking emails, doing some reports from the hospital room that she can, but it’s been very minimal — and not expected,” Sallin said. “There are some things that Kandiss does specifically that no one else does.”

Commissioners offered words of support for the Hoffman family and for Sallin as she manages the temporary gap in staffing.

Western District Commissioner Dale Logan encouraged patience and understanding from the public while the department adjusts. “Well, life happens, and we’re just going to have to deal with it, be patient, and roll on,” he said. “You’ve got an emergency situation, and that’s just the way it is.”

Support for the family has poured in across the county and online. St. George Parish in Linn hosted a Healing Rosary on Oct. 27, asking for successful surgeries and continued recovery. A fundraising effort is underway to assist with medical and family expenses, with donations accepted through Venmo at @Kandiss-Hoffman. Updates and messages of encouragement are being shared through the Zeb Hoffman Family Fundraiser for Healing and Recovery page on Facebook, where hundreds of community members have offered prayers, photos, and words of support.

As Griffin said, “lucky to be alive” seems to capture the feeling across Osage County — deep gratitude that one of their own survived a fall from hundreds of feet, and hope for a full and steady recovery for both men involved.