Rescuers successfully extracted a paraglider who became stranded on a cliff in Daly City, California, on Wednesday afternoon. The solo pilot crashed approximately 500 feet below the top of the cliff just north of Mussel Rock shortly after 4 p.m. and was found to be trapped in extremely rough terrain.
Responding to the emergency were the CHP’s Golden Gate Division air operations, Daly City firefighters, and an American Medical Response ambulance. Due to the man's precarious position high above the beach, a helicopter was required for his extraction. A CHP helicopter arrived on the scene with a Daly City Fire Department rescue technician, who was lowered down the sheer cliff face to reach the paraglider.
Video from the rescue operation shows the technician making his way to the stranded pilot. Subsequently, both the technician and the paraglider were hoisted hundreds of feet back up to the helicopter. The injured paraglider was transported by ambulance to a local trauma center with moderate injuries, according to the North County Fire Authority. His current condition was not immediately known.
The entire rescue operation, from the initial emergency call to the patient's transport and the clearing of the scene, took approximately 90 minutes.
This incident is not the only recent cliffside rescue in the Bay Area. Earlier in the week, San Francisco firefighters rescued a dog near Dead Man’s Point by Lands End after its owner reported that it had gone over the edge.