Difficult rescue

Paraglider got stuck in a treetop

Paragliding accident in the Lilienfeld area of Lower Austria: the 31-year-old pilot from Vienna had to wait around half an hour before being rescued.

A paraglider landed in a treetop in the Lilienfeld area on Saturday. According to the mountain rescue team, the 31-year-old pilot had to hold out at a height of around 20 meters for around half an hour. Seven members of the mountain rescue team and other people finally came to the man's aid. The afternoon ended in hospital for the weakened amateur sportsman.

Paraglider collapsed
The Viennese paraglider pilot had set off towards the valley "in midsummer weather and excellent visibility", reported Lilienfeld Mountain Rescue. However, the glider later collapsed. The 31-year-old deployed an emergency parachute, but got caught in the treetop.

Difficult rescue operation
Hikers subsequently heard the man's cries for help, and other paraglider pilots also became aware of the 31-year-old's problem. The rescue measures proved to be "very difficult, not only because of the height, but also because the trees in this area were very thin", emphasized Lilienfeld's mountain rescue station manager Thomas Bichelhuber. The paraglider pilot is said to have already crashed in the affected area in spring and also got stuck in a tree, Lilienfeld Mountain Rescue stated.