California paraglider gets tangled in power lines, dangles for hours

OLIVEHURST, Calif. - A paraglider got tangled in power lines in the Central Valley and dangled for hours above the street before he could get rescued because of the hot electrical lines. 

Officials said he was trying to avoid landing in the road when he became entangled late Wednesday about 5 p.m. on Sky Harbor Drive near the Yuba County Airport in Olivehurst.

It took three hours before he was finally brought back to solid ground. For all that time, he dangled above the street as crews surrounded him.

Fire crews say they had to wait for PG&E to shut down power before they could touch him.

"Our main focus was letting him know to stay in contact with the aircraft not to try to reach out and touch us or move around as much so that the aircraft stayed still and wouldn’t potentially fall,” Olivehurt Fire Battalion Chief Randy York told Sacramento-based Fox 40. 

Despite the crash, the paraglider was not hurt. He even gave a fist pump into the sky on his way to the ambulance.

KTVU's Lisa Fernandez contributed to this report.

The paraglider was trying to avoid landing in the road when he became entangled on Sky Harbor Drive near the airport. Feb. 19, 2020

Olivehurst firefighters had to wait three hours before getting the paraglider down because the power lines were still hot. Feb. 19, 2020

A paraglider crashed into power lines in Olivehurst, Calif. Feb. 19, 2020