Paraglider Rescued After Crashing Into Peak In Yolo County

CACHE CREEK (CBS13) — Authorities say a paraglider suffered major injuries after colliding with a peak in Yolo County on Wednesday.

The fall knocked the victim unconscious, forcing the California Highway Patrol to send out a helicopter rescue team — and for first responders, it was a race against time.

"We had about 10 to 15 minutes," said Shaun Bouyea, a flight officer and paramedic for the CHP.

California Highway Patrol says air and other units responded at around 4:30 p.m. to a report of two parachuters down at a peak near Cache Creek Canyon Regional Park.

The pair was soon found on Glascock Peak. The other paraglider saw the first person crash, landed near the person, and then called 911 before starting first aid.

"The individual who was injured, he couldn't reach his cellphone. He didn't know where he was. He was knocked unconscious, so it was instrumental having the second person there," Bouyea said.

CHP Golden Gate Division Air Operations unit H-32 lowered a crew member down and hoisted the injured paraglider back up.

"We knew we could not land. This was not the normal rescue," Bouyea said.

It was complicated with the helicopter hovering 50-feet above the ground, the sun was setting and the victim was tangled in his equipment.

"Time was of the essence for this one," Bouyea said. "My partner had to cut loose all of his cords."

Says Officer Bouyea, who was finally able to pull the group to safety.

The injured person was then flown to a waiting ambulance and rushed to the Kaiser Hospital in Vacaville.

Medics say the 23-year-old paraglider suffered major injuries. No other details about their injuries have been released.

The second paraglider was also rescued just before dark.

Just how often do helicopter rescues like this one happen? Officer Bouyea said, prior to the pandemic, the agency was conducting multiple rescues a month. Now, they're conducting multiple a week.