Landing Zone in Weld Dedicated in Memory of Former LifeFlight Patient
On August 23, 2025, a helicopter landing zone in Weld was dedicated in memory of Caren Daugherty, a former LifeFlight of Maine patient and annual summer visitor to nearby Webb Lake. Dozens of community and family members attended the event, which was organized by Caren’s husband, Brent Daugherty.
Brent, who helped facilitate the designation of the landing zone, says he began spending summers at Webb Lake in Weld when he was a child. He later brought his wife, children, and grandchildren to visit the place that meant so much to him – he has been coming to Maine for 74 years!
In June 2024, Caren fell at the camp where she and Brent were staying and hit her head on a rock. She was brought to the hospital by local EMS and later transported to Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor by LifeFlight. Caren passed away from her injuries. Brent turned his grief into determination to make a difference in the Weld community and Franklin County.
Over the past year, Brent worked with Bill Yates, the LifeFlight Access Program Coordinator, Weld Fire Chief Corey Hutchinson, and officials with Mount Blue State Park to designate a pre-designated emergency landing area (PELA) for medevac operations.
Photos from the landing zone dedication. Courtesy of David Law.
“We appreciate Brent’s dedication to improving access to healthcare in Maine,” said Yates. “In an emergency, a good plan drives performance. LifeFlight regularly lands at emergency scenes with temporary landing zones, but establishing known landing zones with year-round access improves safety, efficiency, and continuity of care.”
At the ceremony, Brent made a generous personal donation to LifeFlight, and also raised more than $25,000 to support the local fire department, including a rescue stretcher with a wheel that is used to help transport people out of the woods and on hiking trails. Brent’s donation included handheld radios and an extrication tool used for motor vehicle crashes. To help LifeFlight and its EMS partners with medevac operations, Brent purchased a lighting kit and allocated some funds to be used to thank and recognize community EMS volunteers.
In a wonderful gesture of caring for one’s community, the remaining funds were used to purchase first aid kits, tourniquets, and instructional guides which will be distributed to residents around the lake, so that when another family faces a similar emergency, Brent’s hope is that they can be better prepared. We extend our sincere admiration and gratitude to Brent for his caring and commitment to the people of Maine.
