Rare Mid-Air Collision Between Paraglider and Hang-Glider Leads to Fatality in Utah

Soaring through the sky comes with its rush of adrenaline. But it’s important to remember that the adrenaline signifies your body sensing the potential danger of plummeting to your death. Though most of these unfortunate accidents happen due to a faulty parachute, there have been bigger, freakier accidents. One such disaster took place this week when a paragliding instructor died after he collided mid-air with a hang glider.

According to multiple reports, the mid-air collision took place at the Salt Lake County Flight Park in Draper, Utah. The accident involved three people – two on a tandem paraglider and one on a single-person hang glider.

How the Mid-Air Collision Happened

The accident was gruesome as all three people involved fell to the ground. The impact of the fall proved to be fatal for some as the paragliding instructor, Joshua Ellison, 44, died on the spot. Although local authorities received a call, they were powerless to change the fate of the victims.

Lt. Mike Elkins of the Draper Police Department said, “(Jason) was in very poor shape.” He added, “By the time LifeFlight landed, he had succumbed to his injuries.”

While this may seem like a bleak silver lining to some, the woman paragliding with the instructor managed to survive. She was rushed to the hospital by the authorities. She is still hospitalized and is in critical condition.

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Fortunately, the man on the solo hang glider was also able to get away with minor injuries. The two survivors’ names have not been disclosed. While an investigation is currently underway, the incident was most likely an accident, local authorities said.

A Rare Accident on All Fronts

Authorities were slightly perplexed by the uniqueness of the accident. Besides that, the cause of the accident was particularly puzzling because Ellison was very experienced in paragliding.

Local authorities are particularly invested in this accident as many factors of the case are rather rare. For example, the fact that two of the victims were gravely injured after the accident was strange as such fatalities typically happen on hard landings.

Moreover, Salt Lake County Flight Park is

“one of the very best places to hang glide in the entire world,” according to Draper’s website.

The park even has two launch areas for hang gliders and paragliders. According to state reports, there have been just five reported paragliding deaths and three hang-gliding fatalities in the entire year of 2022.

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