Police say a man is recovering from minor injuries after his paraglider crashed near a ski resort in the Poconos.
WFMZ-TV reports the accident happened Sunday afternoon near Blue Mountain Ski Resort in Palmerton, Pa., Carbon County. Witnesses say the pilot had been paragliding with friends when he hit a pocket of air about 150 feet above the ground.
He then fell violently to the ground, hitting a tree on the way down.
Pennsylvania State Police say the man, identified as Hoboken, N.J., resident Gene Gleason, is recovering at a hospital from what are described as minor injuries. Friends say he is an experienced glider and that his experience helped him survive the fall.
"When he came in for the landing, had his risers trip, twist, half of his wing collapsed and then he caught a tree on the landing," John Davis, who landed just before Gleason, told WFMZ.
