By Jens Dana
Deseret Morning News (Salt Lake City)
Copyright 2007 The Deseret News Publishing Co.
POINT OF THE MOUNTAIN, Utah — A 39-year-old Provo man survived an estimated 400-foot drop Saturday morning at Point of the Mountain after he fell from his paraglider.
Two paragliders took off from the south side of Point of the Mountain around 10:30 a.m., said Sgt. Lane Critser of Utah County Sheriff office. Witness told police they saw one of the gliders bump into the other, and the pilot of the struck glider fell a considerable distance, landing in a patch of dried grass and loose debris on the southern slope of the mountain. As of Saturday afternoon, police are still uncertain what exactly caused the two paragliders to collide, Critser said.
“It’s pretty windy so I think that was a factor,” he said.
Utah County Sheriff’s officers and Lehi EMTs responded to the accident. When they saw how far down the mountain the man was, they called in North County Technical Rescue Team -- a group of EMTs, paramedics and firefighters from Lehi, Saratoga Springs, Pleasant Grove and American Fork.
The team reached the victim and set up a raising system, using 400 feet of rope, to bring him up the mountain, Critser said.
“It’s pretty cool to watch,” he said.
The man lost consciousness for a brief time, Critser said. But by the time they brought him to the top of the mountain, he was “conscious and talking and asking questions.” Lehi EMTs checked the man out and determined he possibly broke his leg, he said. An air medic transported him to University Hospital for treatment. Police were still withholding the man’s identity Sunday night.
Critser estimates the man fell 200 to 400 feet, based on where the paragliders took off and where the man landed on the mountain after the accident. It’s remarkable he’s still alive, he said.
“Even if you take a 10-foot fall and end up not being banged up for life you’re pretty lucky,” he said.