Man Injured While Paragliding at Park
A Santa Barbara man suffered serious injuries Monday when he slammed into a steep rocky outcropping while paragliding at a popular spot near Conejo Mountain Memorial Park, authorities said.
James Victor, 50, was in critical condition with two broken legs Monday night after being airlifted to Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, authorities said.
Victor caught a good draft when he took off at 2:30 p.m. in his paraglider, which is similar to a parachute with hand controls. He soared to about 250 feet, then lost the wind and fell, authorities said.
He was apparently flying alone and wasn’t discovered until about 4:30 p.m. when a resident in the area spotted the parachute and used a cell phone to call for help.
The area wasn’t accessible by foot so a crew of rescuers was airlifted in, Ventura County Fire Capt. Mark Taillon said.
“It wasn’t the best of situations,” Taillon said. “It was a very touchy rescue. There was nowhere to set down and the wind current was pushing around the tail of the helicopter.”
Rescuers carried Victor on a stretcher to a spot where he could be hoisted onto the chopper.
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