A paraglider is very lucky to be alive after falling more than 500 feet. A wind gust caused his paraglider to fail sending him to the ground.
The incident happened on January 9. A 52-year-old paraglider fell through the sky and crashed into the ocean near Singer Island in Florida. The Riviera Beach Police Department (RBPD) said in a statement that they responded to the emergency.
The paraglider dropped out of the sky but was unharmed.
"The windward wayfarer was not injured and nearby beachgoers swam out to help him and his craft to shore," said the RBPD. The City of Riviera Beach Ocean Rescue and Fire Rescue teams responded alongside police to the scene.
Paraglider Lucky To Be Alive
"I noticed the paraglider kind of going in an interesting pattern," PBCFR lifeguard Sarah Williamson told WFLX. "I just started running, and I radioed my other partner. We grabbed our rescue tube and our rescue board and paddled out in tandem."
Fortunately for the paraglider, a snorkeler was also in the area. Upon witnessing the crash landing, the snorkeler came to his aid. They helped stop the man from drowning.
"Once I got out there and I saw that he was above water, not drowning, and alive ... [we brought] him back in," Williamson told WFLX.
"When I heard the number (that the paraglider fell from), I was quite blown away. Five hundred feet is an incredible thing to survive ...It could be so much worse."
