Paraglider Catches Power Lines

Man was trapped for three hours before rescuers freed him
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Feb 20, 2020 7:20 PM CST
Updated Feb 21, 2020 12:10 AM CST
Paraglider Catches Power Lines
An image taken from video shows a paraglider trapped in power lines Wednesday evening before being rescued in Olivehurst, California.   (ABC10/KXTV via AP)

A paraglider spent three hours trapped in power lines before being rescued in northern California. The paraglider, who was not immediately identified, was facing the ground with the wires as his only support when first responders arrived Wednesday night, said officials with the Olivehurst Fire Department. Olivehurst is about 40 miles north of Sacramento. He got stuck while trying to land at the Yuba County airport during a training exercise, the AP reports. No major injuries were reported.

Power was cut to the surrounding area for a few hours while crews worked to save the man, authorities said. "The difficulty was making sure that the lines were de-energized to make sure that our firefighters were safe before we could make patient contact," said Battalion Chief Randy York. "Letting him know to stay in contact with the aircraft and not to reach out and touch us so that the aircraft stayed still. He's exhausted, but all his vitals seem to be stable."

(More paragliding stories.)

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