Man Seriously Injured After His Paraglider Crashes in Northern Colorado

A man was seriously injured Monday night just north of Loveland as his paraglider crashed into near Highway 287 and West 71st Street.

Loveland Police received calls of the man going down south of the Ridgewood Hills neighborhood in South Fort Collins, specifically the Long View Farm Open Space which is managed by Larimer County Natural Resources.

Related: Plane Crashes Near Horsetooth Reservoir in Fort Collins

Larimer County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to the scene along with Loveland Fire Rescue and Thompson Valley EMS services and discovered the man - the only occupant of the paraglider - with serious injuries requiring him to be transported to the hospital.

The calls first came in around 7:15 PM on June 30, reporting that a paraglider was seen struggling and ultimately crashed.

While the authorities notified the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and FAA (Federal Aviation Administration), due to the classification of the aircraft, the investigation will continue to be led by local agencies in Northern Colorado.

Read More: Have You Ever Hiked to the WWII Plane Wreckage in Colorado?

Not to be confused with "hang gliding," paragliding involves flying "a lightweight, fabric wing, similar to a parachute, but with a curved shape designed for gliding. The wing is inflated by the wind and held in shape by the pressure of the air entering vents at the front and the aerodynamic forces of the air flowing over the wing. Pilots are suspended below the wing in a harness or cocoon-like pod."

Unlike their motorized-cousin-aircrafts called "paramotors," paragliders do not have engines and are merely controlled by the pilot manipulating airflow, once they manually manage to get lift into the air by catching the right wind from ground, much like launching a kite.

It's unclear at this time how long the man was airborne or how high he managed to climb before crashing in the field.