SUMMIT COUNTY, Colo. — One person was injured after a paragliding accident occurred on Tuesday in Summit County.
Paragliding is becoming more and more popular in the area, and although several launches have been successful, one individual ended up injured after hitting the side of a tree, according to Charles Pitman, the Public Information Officer of Summit County Rescue Group.
According to Pitman, the individual did not have enough lift, hit the side of a tree, and then landed at the base of the tree, which was about 100 feet from Lake Dillon.
It took the Summit County Rescue Group about 20-30 minutes to arrive on scene after the accident, which Pitman says is a great response time, given that the group is made up of volunteers.
Due to temperatures being in the single digits, the rescue was challenging. SCRG ended up crossing the ice on Lake Dillon to get to the injured individual.
It took the Rescue Group over an hour to begin transporting the individual. They tobogganed him down the steep slope to the lake and then got him out with a snowmobile.
The individual was transported to Summit Medical Center with moderate injuries. The name of the individual has not been released.