CAROLINA — An accident involving a paraglio skier and a helicopter in North Carolina has left the state reeling and prompting lawmakers to take action to improve safety.
The Paraglider Association of North Carolina said in a statement Monday that the accident occurred in the early morning hours of Sept. 13.
The skier, whose name was not released, was riding on a paragle when it skidded off the side of the mountain and crashed into a fence on a road in Charlotte.
The skier’s parachute deployed, but he was able to make a safe landing in a nearby creek, the association said.
The helicopter crashed into the side wall of a tree, where it rolled and flipped over, the statement said.
It said it took the skier about an hour to be airlifted to a hospital for treatment.
The accident prompted a two-day emergency meeting of the North Carolina House of Representatives to consider changes to the state’s paragling laws.
A spokeswoman for the North Carolinian Department of Transportation said the state has implemented a new system for paraglo-skiers.
The department has increased the speed limit on roads around Paraglo Park, added new signs and posted safety instructions to drivers, she said.