Austrian paraglider survives Lion's Head crash

A 27-year-old Austrian paraglider was injured Monday morning after crashing on Lion’s Head.

A passing hiker, together with a local mountain guide, responded immediately after witnessing the crash, said Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR).

They alerted emergency services while carefully preventing the pilot from tumbling further down the steep slope.

“A small technical rescue team aboard the Western Cape Government Health and Wellness EMS / Air Mercy Service (AMS) rescue helicopter was deployed to the scene. 

“The patient was assessed and treated by a Western Cape Government Health and Wellness EMS paramedic before being airlifted to a nearby landing zone. He was then transferred to an ambulance and transported to hospital for further care,” WSAR said. 

WSAR thanked the quick-thinking hiker and guide whose prompt actions helped stabilise the situation until rescue teams arrived. They wished the visiting pilot a full recovery.

Meanwhile, WSAR also warned that the consumption of drugs or alcohol while hiking is extremely dangerous and can significantly impair judgment, co-ordination and reaction time. Substances that alter perception or physical performance increase the risk of accidents, injury or worse - particularly in remote or challenging environments.

This comes after WSAR teams were called to Cecelia Forest after a passing hiker called the emergency number and reported an unconscious and unresponsive young man near the waterfall on Saturday morning.

"On arrival, rescuers discovered a 20-year-old hiker whose adventure had taken an unexpectedly horizontal turn during an outing with a friend. It soon emerged that the pair had attempted to chemically enhance their trip.

"Unfortunately for the young adventurer, the effects of his chosen supplement were rather less 'enhancing' and a lot more 'please lie down before gravity makes that choice for you'," WSAR said.

"Once Western Cape Government Health and Wellness EMS paramedics had checked him over, it became clear that the situation was more dramatic in appearance than in medical severity. With some steady support, and the sort of gentle encouragement usually reserved for coaxing a stubborn donkey, the young adventurer was escorted down the trail to a waiting ambulance."

WSAR is a network of government agencies, and civilian volunteer organisations, who partner in search and rescue and can be contacted in case of emergency on 021 937 0300.

Cape Times