A sporting tragedy occurred in Nanjing at the weekend, when a man paragliding ended up in a local river. But despite the best efforts of a good Samaritan who was unable to save the man, paragliding remains one of the safest sports there is.
The dry, warm weather this past weekend provided for thermals that made for the perfect conditions for paragliding. On the face of it, the weather of 9 May for one man was the perfect opportunity.
But it was to be his last paragliding experience. Descending with no other place to land except the river, the unnamed man was plunged into the waters, while his paraglider canopy gathered above him, floating on the surface.
Within seconds, the man was trapped, entangled by the canopy’s lines and unable to free himself. With potentially only seconds to live, time was running out.
For a few moments, it appeared that the situation may have a happy ending. With numerous people on the ground below, one was able to snap pictures of the paraglider’s descent in what were to be his final moments, while another attempted a daring rescue.
Entering the river, the would-be rescuer swam out to the paraglider canopy afloat in the water. However, he was unable to free the man pinned underneath.
By the time emergency services arrived on the scene, the paraglider had tragically drowned, reported The Paper.
Statistically, paragliding is as safe as driving. According to Cape Town Paragliding, each year, about 1 out of every 10,000 Americans is killed in a car accident. That makes paragliding safer than motorcycling and horseback riding.
Paragliders are typically suspended beneath the canopy by 30 lines, or risers, each one of which can support the weight of an adult human being. Paragliding fatalities are rarely caused by equipment failure. They are more likely the result of people choosing to fly in unfavourable weather conditions, or as in this case, when they encounter a potentially-lethal obstacle.
