| I have always had the notion I could do anything if I set my mind to it. The same went for flying the paraplane. I thought if I bought the book, a video and studied the machine, I could fly it. Well it was hard to find a good flying day because of the wind always blowing and since they recommend that you not fly with winds over 15 miles an hour, there were few days that were acceptable. The first day I took the machine out, it looked like the wind wasn't that strong until I layed out the parachute. Then I had a big problem controlling it, keeping it from pulling the machine backwards. The next suitable day I tried a few trial runs down the field raising the chute up. I would then pack it up and move back to the other end of the field and do it again. The last time I set up out in the field, it was nice spring day in mid May. It seemed like a good day with a gentle breeze and sunny. I was going to just practice takeoff and landings. I powered up and when it lifted off I was toward the other end of the field. I was just going to circle and land again. I turned to the right and coming at me was a light pole. I new I couldn't gain enough height to go over it so I tried to turn around it. The wind pushed me from the left and being unexperienced I tried to manuver around it but lacked the skill to handle throttle and the steering controls properly. I slammed into the light pole, hitting the left side and knocking the pole over. The machine flipped on its right side and slammed down on the pavement below. It was estimated I was only 15 or 20 feet in the air at the time of impact. When I hit the pavement I knew I broke something on my right side. My leg was stuck in the right stirrup and I couldn't get it out. The gas tank vent was leaking gasoline out and pouring on the pavement beside and underneath me. My back was saturated with gasoline. Two guys came over that had been watching me and asked if I needed help. I asked one to move my foot out of the stirrup and set the machine upright so it would stop leaking gas, then call 911. After a painful trip to the hospital I found out I had a broken femur (the upper leg) and my pelvis was crushed as well as bruised ribs and road rash all over my right side. I spent over a month in the hospital and two months at home healing in bed. I received a bill from the city within a week charging me about $900 for the light pole. I had a pin placed in my right femur and spent all summer recovering until August then went back to work with a limp. My limp is fairly unnoticable now almost two years later, but I still have some lasting side effects resulting from the bone fractures. |
