Two paragliders photographed mid-air.Photo:Getty
Getty
A paragliding instructor died after he collided mid-air with a hang glider in Utah on Tuesday, according to multiple reports.
The incident occurred at the Salt Lake County Flight Park in Draper, perFox affiliate KSTU. The publication noted that police received a call around 5 p.m. local time regarding a midair collision that involved a tandem paraglider and a single-person hang glider.
All three people involved in the collision — the paragliding instructor, the woman he was gliding with in tandem and the solo hang glider — fell to the ground.
The Draper Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
The woman paragliding with Ellison was transported to a hospital in critical condition, while the hang glider was treated for minor injuries,The Salt Lake CityTribunereported. Their names have not been disclosed.
The Draper Police, per KSTU, said that Ellison was very experienced in paragliding. They added that this type of incident is very rare, since injuries–or sometimes fatalities–typically happen on hard landings.
According to theCity of Draper’s website, the Salt Lake County Flight Park is considered “one of the very best places to hang glide in the entire world.” It said that the park has two launch areas for hang gliders and paragliders.
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In a report from theU.S. Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, there were five reported paragliding deaths and three hang gliding fatalities in 2022.
source: people.com
